


The Bonds that Tie Us

by madeleone



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: sshg_giftfest, Eventual Smut, F/M, Humor, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-20 07:09:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20223865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madeleone/pseuds/madeleone
Summary: In a fit of anger and frustration, Hermione resigns from her position as a department head at the Ministry of Magic. The problem is, in a very un-Hermione-like move, she has absolutely no plan for what comes next, except for this niggling idea that she simplymustfind Severus Snape.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iqeret](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=iqeret).

> Authors note:
> 
> I'm a procrastinator. This fic is from the 2018 sshg_giftfest on livejournal it was posted there in January of this year. It's taken me this long to get around to posting it. Sorry for the delay. 
> 
> As always, many, many thanks go to my beta, delphipsmith, for all of her hard work and patience. She's the best! Also thanks to iqeret for her wonderful prompts. I'll post the ones I used at the end of the fic.

Chapter 1

Hermione sank into her leather swivel chair with a sigh. She'd just finished packing up the last few bits of memorabilia from her office into the box atop her desk. She held the last item, a photo, in her hands. It was of Harry and Ron, and her, taken just a few months after the war on the day they'd all started working here at the Ministry. She'd had such high hopes back then, but now, nearly eight years later, very little had changed and Hermione felt like her job had been nothing but a dead-end, she herself a failure. She felt the sting of tears and blinked rapidly, determined not to let anyone here see her crying; she had to hold off at least until she could Floo home to her snug little cottage.

“Hermione?”

A soft voice from her doorway caught her attention. Dabbing at the corner of her eyes she looked up and saw Luna Lovegood—well, Luna Potter now. “Hey, Luna.”

“Hey, Hermione.” Luna ambled over and perched on the edge of the desk. Looking down at her, she reached out and patted her hand. “You look sad, love. Are you okay?”

Hermione gave a short shake of her head, blinking back tears again. “Harry just left. We had words—harsh, hurtful words.”

Luna's lips compressed. “Oh no. Hermione, you know I love Harry to pieces, but I think he's wrong this time.”

“He thinks I'm making a huge mistake. He said I'm going to regret it, and it will end up ruining my life.”

Luna frowned. “Harry doesn't get to make your choices. This is your life and you need to do what's right for you, Hermione. What do _you_ think?”

Hermione looked around the room, now bare of any evidence that she'd spent eight years here. “I think if I spend one more day in the office, in this job...” She strangled a sob. “It will bury me, Luna. I simply can't do this for even one more day.”

Luna smiled softly. “Then you're making the right choice.”

Hermione looked down at the photograph in her hand. “I had such high hopes when we all started. So many plans to make things better, and it turned out that all the Ministry really wanted was some kind of figurehead. I was a PR coup for them: the war hero, one of the youngest department heads in the history of the Ministry, and a female and Muggle-born to boot. Imagine that!” She shook her head. “I can't seem to make Harry understand that. I don't belong here anymore, maybe I never did. I wish I'd had the guts to leave after that first year when Ron did. He's so much happier being a partner in George's business than he ever was here. Harry deserves everything he's earned, he's worked hard and now he's at the top of his field, a huge success. He just can't see that I can't stay here, I need to move on.”

Luna leaned in to give Hermione an encouraging hug. “Harry will come around, love. Just give him some time. I think the real issue is he thought the three of you would stay together forever, you know? The Golden Trio, or like that Muggle novel: The Three Muskrat Ears.”

Hermione chuckled briefly at Luna's mangling of the title of the classic novel, then grumbled, “Uggh! The Golden Trio, I hated that name. It's as though we're not individuals but one indivisible unit.”

“I know. Harry just needs to realize that life does go on. Just because you're not all here working at the Ministry doesn't mean he's going to lose you. He'll figure that out before long, so try to have some patience with him. Please?”

Hermione nodded. “I will, Luna. We've been friends for much too long to throw that away.” She conjured a handful of tissue paper and gently wrapped up the photo then slid it down the side of her box. Shrinking the whole thing down to the size of a book of matches she slipped it into her bag. “Well, I guess that's everything.”

“What will you do now?” asked Luna.

“That's the problem: I don't know. Hermione Granger without a plan, who would have ever thought?”

“Really? No idea at all?”

Hermione shrugged. “No, not really.” She paused then continued, tentatively, “Well, except...”

“Except what, Hermione?”

“I don't know, Luna. It's kind of crazy, but for the last couple of weeks, I've been thinking a lot about...Severus Snape.”

Luna's eyes went even huger than normal. “What? You can't just drop that crumb and not tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone.”

“Well, okay, this has really been bothering me. We both know that Snape was alive after the war...”

“Yes, of course, he was,” said Luna. “He taught at Hogwarts for a while once he'd recovered. I took Advanced Potions from him my final year.”

“Yes, but after teaching for two years he disappeared and no one has seen or heard anything from him since. Nothing. Of course all sorts of rumors have been floating around: he's a hermit living in the desert, or an alcoholic sleeping in the dark alleys of Paris, or he's in the rainforests of Brazil searching for rare potions ingredients, or he's sailing around the world on a Muggle sailboat, or he's living in monastery in Tibet...”

“Oh, oh...” Luna interrupted, jumping up and down a little bit in her excitement. “I heard just the other day that someone saw him on the stage in Las Vegas. He's performing a magic act at one of the big casinos there.”

Hermione snorted. “I'd pay to see that myself. Then there are the rumors that he’s died: he was killed by a runaway lorry in Liverpool, he froze to death in Antarctica, he was eaten by crocodiles in Australia, and on and on. But Luna, I know for certain that he isn't dead.”

“You do? How? Have you seen him? Tell me!”

“Okay, but this is why you mustn't tell anyone, because I'm not supposed to know this.” Luna quickly nodded agreement and Hermione continued. “A couple of weeks ago, some evidence came up in an investigation. Part of that evidence included several blood samples...”

“Oh, no,” whispered Luna, clutching her chest. “Did the professor kill someone?”

“No, he wasn't the criminal nor the victim. I don't know who they were. I only saw the last page of the file, where they identified the blood samples taken at the scene – and one was identified as his. So that means that as of just a few weeks ago Severus Snape was definitely alive and here in England.”

Luna heaved a sigh of relief. “I'm happy he's alive. It always makes me sad when I hear unkind or sad rumors about him. After everything he did during the war, he deserves to live a long life and find some kind of happiness.” She frowned. “But I don't understand, how will all of this be of any help to you?”

“I have no idea, Luna,” said Hermione, shaking her head. “But I can't stop thinking about him. I don't know where he's been all these years, or what he's hiding from. The man is a national hero, for Merlin's sake. Somehow, I don’t know how, but he holds the key, and I have this nagging feeling that I need to find him, to talk to him. Only then will I know what it is I have to do.”

Luna shrugged, “Well, I'll say this much, you've certainly got your work cut out for you. Because if Severus Snape doesn't want to be found then it's going to be harder than Hades to find him. Maybe Harry could—”

“No!” Hermione grabbed Luna's arm. “Harry already thinks I’m utterly mad for resigning, I don't want him to know that I don't even have a plan aside from trying to track down Snape. He'll try to have me committed for sure.”

Luna looked glum. “All right, but I have a bad feeling about this. You have to promise me that you'll be careful.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Bugger this!” Hermione shoved the stack of papers in front of her away in frustration. In the nearly two months since she'd left the Ministry her dining table had become Snape Search Central. She'd tracked down every crazy lead she'd come across, so far with no results whatsoever aside from the fact that she was now forced to eat her meals either at her tiny kitchen table or in the living room in front of the telly.

With a sigh, she surveyed the teetering piles of books, parchments, clippings, and scribbled notes, and decided it was time to reclaim her dining area and move on to the next phase of her search for Snape. She was honestly tempted to pitch it all into the fireplace, but research was research and you never knew when you might need some tiny snippet of information you'd eked out ages ago. She summoned a box and a pile of folders from the closet and proceeded to sort and file it all for storage, then shrank the box to a manageable size and carried it up to store in the attic. She placed it carefully on a shelf beside several other shrunken cartons labeled with subject and year. She turned to go but just as she was reaching for the light switch she caught her toe on the corner of a much larger and heavier box sitting on the floor. MISC. BOOKS was written on the front in black marker.

Hermione frowned, trying to remember exactly what she'd packed away... and as the answer came to her, she broke into a huge grin. MISC. BOOKS just might hold the key that could lead her to Snape. She swished her wand and levitated the box ahead of her down the stairs.

Thus far Hermione had limited her search to tracking down the various rumors and such about the professor, all of which had led to dead ends. She knew her best bet was to talk to the people who knew him best, as they were the ones most likely to know where she could find him now. But she'd avoided doing that because she couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse for why in Hades she was trying to find him to begin with. But if she was right about the contents of this box, it would provide her with the perfect reason for searching for Severus Snape.

~*~*~*~*~

Hermione approached Hogwarts with a high degree of hesitancy. Logically, Minerva McGonagall was one of the people most likely to know something about the professor's whereabouts. They had worked together before the war, and he had been willing to bury the past and return to teach with her and the rest of his old colleagues at Hogwarts for two years after the war. Surely they must have some contact with each other still. 

But Hermione dreaded the thought of seeing Minerva again only to find yet one more person she liked and respected telling her what an idiot she was to walk away from an eight-year career without a plan in place for her own future. Instead, she'd spent the past two weeks tracking down various other people Snape might have been in contact with: suppliers of potions ingredients, apothecaries, potions journal publishers, proprietors of shops and pubs around Hogsmeade, even people in his old neighborhood of Spinner’s End. All to no avail.

She stood outside the gates for no more than a minute before she saw Hagrid coming down the path.

“Hermione!” he shouted in greeting. “Good ta see yeh, it is.”

She waved back, a huge smile on her face as her childhood memories of this gentle giant of a man threatened to overwhelm her. “I'm so glad to see you too, Hagrid. It's been much too long.”

He opened the gate and ushered her in, closing the gate behind them and then bending to give her a bone-crushing hug. “Yer right, it has been too long, but I'm glad ter see yeh now. Th’ Headmistress has talked of nothin' else fer the past two days. She'll be happy yer finally here, an’ the rest of the staff will be too.”

Hermione tugged him down to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I'm happy to be here. I don't know why I didn't visit sooner. Will I see you at dinner tonight?”

“Sure will,” he replied. “Now you run on along, I'm sure Minerva's waitin' fer yeh. Yeh haven't fergot the way to her office, have yeh?”

She laughed. “No, I'm sure I can find my way. See you later then, Hagrid.”

Hermione headed up the path to the castle, feeling a bit less unsure of her welcome than she had only minutes before.

~*~*~*~*~

The truth of Hagrid's words was confirmed by the warm welcome of no less than four of her former professors, as well as Madames Pince and Pomfrey, whom she encountered along the route from the castle entrance to the Headmistress' office. All were obviously glad to see her and wanted to chat, so by the time Hermione arrived at the top of the staircase, Minerva was waiting for her. Hermione apologized with a laugh, explaining what had delayed her arrival.

Minerva greeted her with a brisk hug. “Bunch of busybodies,” she muttered, referring to her colleagues. “They all know you're staying for dinner, they could have waited to visit with you there.” She ushered Hermione through her office and into her private quarters, where she asked Tika, her elf, to bring them tea.

The two spent the next hour or so catching up on gossip about mutual friends and recent goings-on in the wizarding world. At last Hermione sat back with a sigh. “Well, I suppose it's time to address the elephant in the room. I'm sure you've heard by now that I've resigned from my position at the Ministry.”

Minerva pursed her lips. “It's about time. I can't believe you stuck it out this long.”

“What?” Hermione stared at her, wide-eyed. “That is not at all the reaction I expected.”

Minerva sipped her tea. “Really? What did you expect?”

Hermione shrugged. “Something along the lines of, what could I have been thinking to quit my job and walk away from my career of eight years without a clue as to what I'm going to do next.”

“Everyone giving you a hard time, are they?” said Minerva, with a bit of a smirk.

“Yes, for the most part. I do have a few supportive friends, but not many. Harry thinks I've lost my mind, he says I'm going to regret it forever. Kingsley is still trying to convince me to come back. And...”

“Don't mention that man's name,” interrupted Minerva, an annoyed look on her face.

Surprised, Hermione glanced at her over the rim of her teacup. “Harry or Kingsley?” she asked, setting her cup down on the table.

“Shacklebolt, of course,” snapped Minerva. “I never believed that working at the Ministry was the best choice for you. Not that you weren't capable, but there are too many of the old guard entrenched there at the Ministry. Yet he snapped you up before the dust even had time settle. It was the best choice for _him_ is what it was. Having you three there was wonderful propaganda for his administration.”

Hermione smiled. “In his defense, he is trying to make some changes. But as you said, the old guard's hold is strong. Everything I tried to do was either rejected outright, buried in committee or watered down to the point it was ineffective. After eight long years, I just couldn't stand one more day of it.”

“If only you'd come to us back then, you'd have had your choice of careers,” lamented Minerva.

“Oh, Minerva. I rather doubt that,” Hermione said. “I hadn't taken my seventh year and I never even sat for my NEWTs. At the time I thought myself lucky to get Kingsley's offer.”

“Nonsense,” retorted Minerva. “At least half a dozen professors here were ready, willing and eager to take you on as an apprentice, even sans your seventh year and NEWTs.”

Hermione was shocked. As a student, she'd toyed with the idea of one apprenticeship in particular, but circumstances being what they were she hadn't even thought to pursue the idea after the war. “Surely you exaggerate,” she murmured.

Minerva began ticking them off on her fingers. “Transfiguration, Charms, Ancient Runes, Healing, Potions, Arithmancy. And probably more.”

Hermione's head snapped up. “Potions? But Professor Snape was the Potions Master then. He'd never taken on an apprentice, ever. Everyone knew it.”

“That's true, but he would have made an exception for you. He said so himself. He was upset, as we all were, when we learned you'd accepted the position at the Ministry. He said a mind like yours should be learning, expanding, not sitting behind a desk pushing papers.”

Hermione hardly knew what to say. “I can't believe that. He didn't even like me.”

Minerva's tone softened. “Hermione, surely you know the persona that Severus put forth during the war was just that, a persona. He had a part to play and he played it well – so well he fooled all of us, even those who knew him best. I can assure you that behind closed doors he thought very highly of your accomplishments. I can't tell you how much he went on about you successfully brewing Polyjuice Potion all on your own in your second year.”

Hermione had always admired Professor Snape, but she'd believed he held her in disdain. Knowing that her assumptions were false changed things. She blinked several times and swallowed hard before she could speak. “Well, that is a surprise, I must say, and...” she hesitated, then took the plunge, “quite a coincidence in fact. You see, I've been trying to locate Professor Snape for several weeks now with no luck, and I'd hoped you might have kept in touch or know some way I might find him.”

Minerva blinked owlishly. “Severus? You've been looking for Severus? Whatever for?”

“I have come into possession of several things that I believe belong to him, and I would like to return them to him. However, no one seems to know where he is. I’d hoped he might have kept in contact with you or some of the others here.”

Minerva paused, seeming to consider her answer. “I am sorry, Hermione. Severus has become something of a recluse these last few years. I don't know where he is. However, he does contact me from time to time. Why don't you just leave the things with me and next time I hear from him I will forward them on to him?”

Hermione shook her head. “No, I can't do that. My reasons are personal. I'm sorry I can't explain it any better than that. I really do need to see him in person.”

“Hmmm...” Minerva tapped her index finger against her lips, deep in thought. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision. “There is someone who is likely to know of Severus' whereabouts. Truth be told, he's been nearly as much of a hermit as Severus these days, but I think he will respond to me—he's actually a distant relation of mine, though I don't usually acknowledge that fact publicly.”

“Oh, Minerva, thank you so much!”

“Don't get your hopes up yet, my dear. There's a very good chance that even if he does have the information he won't reveal it if he decides it is not in Severus' best interest. He can be a loyal friend, I will say that much for him, although I didn't always believe it to be true. Because of that, he may insist on talking to you personally.”

“Of course! Tell me how to contact him, I'm more than willing to speak to him.”

Shaking her head, Minerva said, “No, as I said, he keeps to himself and I won't reveal his identity without his permission. I'll need to contact him myself. I will do so tomorrow and let you know what he says.”

~*~*~*~*~

Hermione swallowed the last gulp of her now lukewarm cocoa and clicked off the telly, tossing the remote onto the side table. A witch she might be, but she'd chosen to live in a house of Muggle design as she appreciated the modern conveniences of things like electric lights, central heat and the occasional sitcom. And tonight she'd needed the distraction. It had been three days since Minerva had promised to contact whoever it was who might be able to help her find Severus (she'd found herself of late calling him by his first name, in her head at least, although he'd no doubt be appalled if she did so to his face). Three long days and she'd heard nothing.

Most of those three days had been spent racking her brains trying to puzzle out who Minerva’s mystery man might be. So far her best guess was Horace Slughorn. Merlin knew, if he were a distant relation of hers she certainly wouldn't own up to it either. She'd never cared much for the older man and his need to pander to the rising stars of the wizarding world, but Hermione had to admit Severus was certainly one of those after the end of the war, before he'd done his disappearing act, and Slughorn might have been tenacious enough to stay in touch. The two men did share a common ground with their background in potions, and both had been teachers at Hogwarts. Still, she couldn't quite see the two of them being bosom buddies; they were far too different in their personalities.

With a sigh she gave a shrug and flicked her wand, sending her mug to the kitchen sink to soak, and turned to choose a book out of her “to be read” pile. Even though it was early she might as well go upstairs, get ready for bed and read until she fell asleep. She'd just set foot on the bottom step when she heard a soft chime indicating that someone had passed through her outer wards. She couldn't fathom who would be coming to her door this time of night; she wasn't expecting anyone, and any friend who might want to come over would likely contact her first and then use the Floo Network.

Several sharp raps sounded on her door. Hermione stepped back down into the living room as an uneasy feeling settled over her, and she approached the door with her wand in hand. She stretched up on tiptoe to peek out of the peephole, only to give a little yelp as her unexpected visitor chose exactly that moment to rap loudly on her door again. She looked, then jerked back sharply in confusion. The man on the other side was the last person on earth she would have expected to be knocking at her door.

Wand still in hand she wrenched the door open. “Mr. Malfoy?”

Lucius took half a step back and dropped his cane, raising his hands, palms out, in a gesture of surrender. “Miss Granger...Hermione...I mean you no harm, I swear.”

Hermione stared at him in utter confusion, then realized she still had her wand in her hand and pointed directly at him. “Sorry,” she mumbled, dropping her hand so it was pointing at the floor. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to speak with you,” he replied as he summoned his cane back into his hand, much as a Quidditch player would summon his broom from the ground. “May I come in?”

She hesitated, then opened the door and swept her arm in a 'you may enter' gesture. “Is it Draco? Is something wrong? Is he all right?” she asked worriedly as she closed and warded the door behind him.

Lucius looked puzzled. “Draco? He's fine as far as I know. Why would you assume something has happened to Draco?” he asked, looking now if _he_ were worried.

“Well, as far as I know, Draco is the only possible link between us, so I can think of no other reason for you to be here knocking on my door uninvited at half-past eight at night.”

“You and Draco? I had no idea...”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Oh, Good Godric, no! I did not mean we're linked romantically. We're friends. We worked together for eight years, you know. So when you showed up here I automatically assumed that it must have something to do with Draco.” Hermione studies Lucius curiously. “Why are you here, then?”

“As I said, we need to talk,” said Lucius. He removed his gloves, slid them into a pocket of his cloak, then remove his cloak and hung it upon a peg by the door.

Hermione frowned. “Well, just make yourself at home, why don't you?”

Lucius looked down his aristocratic nose at her. “Which part of 'We. Need. To. Talk.' did you not understand?”

“Fine.” She pointed to the dining table. “Have a seat, Mr. Malfoy. I suppose you expect me to offer you tea as well?”

“Lucius is fine, my dear. And, yes, tea would be lovely.”

Hermione glared at him. “I was being sarcastic.”

He smiled up at her blandly and repeated, “Tea would be lovely.”

“Oh for the love of...” Throwing her hands up, she stomped off to the kitchen. The blasted man had actually reduced her to growling.

TBC


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a fit of anger and frustration, Hermione resigns from her position as a department head at the Ministry of Magic. The problem is, in a very un-Hermione-like move, she has absolutely no plan for what comes next, except for this niggling idea that she simply _must_ find Severus Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Unending thanks to my fantastic beta, delphipsmith, for all her hard work and for putting up with me, she's a true wonder. Also thanks to iqeret for the great prompts, I hope my offering meets your approval.

Chapter 2

Lucius watched her go and had to bite back a laugh. She certainly was a feisty little thing. He looked around approvingly at her home. It wasn't large, but from what he knew she lived alone so it was plenty of room for her, and it appeared well kept and quite welcoming.

He wandered over to glance into the living room. There was a fireplace at the far end with bookcases on either side as well as another bookcase along the back wall. The room was well lit, the home was obviously of Muggle construction, as there was nary a candle in sight except for decorative purposes. He wasn't sure what he thought of that; he rather liked candlelight. The bookshelves held a good collection of books interspersed with framed pictures and knick-knacks. Inspecting the photos a little closer he was surprised to see one that did indeed include Draco: in a group shot sandwiched between Hermione and the Lovegood girl—it was Potter now, he remembered. It had been taken at what appeared to be a Ministry Christmas party.

“Mr. Malfoy?” Hermione called.

He straightened up and turned. “It's Lucius, remember. And I'm in here.”

Hermione appeared in the doorway carrying a tea tray. She stared at him, eyes narrowed. “You do realize that when I said 'just make yourself at home' earlier, that was sarcasm as well.”

Ignoring her comment, Lucius crossed the room to stand before her. “Here, let me help, that looks heavy,” he said, carefully taking the tray from her. He glanced at the dining table and back at the living room. “We could sit out there, but this seems so much more comfortable, cozy even.” Not even waiting for her approval, he proceeded to set up the tea tray on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

With a sigh Hermione followed and slid over a wing chair, evidently unwilling to sit on the couch next to him. Lucius looked over at her and smiled. Clearly she was wondering what he was up to.

“You relax, I'll serve since you made the tea for us. I must apologize, I hadn't thought of you having to do it yourself since you don't have a...” Lucius hesitated as he recalled Draco mentioning once that Hermione didn't approve of the use of house elves. “Err... a staff,”

“No, Lucius, you won't find any house elves, or staff here. I live alone and I am quite capable of taking care of myself.” Taking the cup of tea he offered her, she continued, “Can you please explain to me why you're here? What is this great mystery that we have to talk about?”

“Of course. No mystery, really, it has come to my attention that you have been seeking Severus Snape. I may be able to help you, but that depends entirely on whether or not I decide your reasons are valid.”

Hermione had just taken her first sip of tea and nearly choked as it went down the wrong way. When she was again able to speak, she choked out, “Severus? You know where he is?” Before he could reply, however, she gasped, her eyes going round. “Wait... you're him. _You're_ Minerva's contact, you're the distant relative she said she tries not to acknowledge?”

Lucius rolled his eyes. “Honestly, that woman. You would think that being related to a Malfoy was a fate worse than Voldemort. Our link is not as distant as she might lead you to believe. We are second cousins, for Merlin's sake!”

“Seriously? Um... how exactly did that come about?”

“In the usual way. My grandmother and her grandmother were sisters. At any rate Minerva contacted me the other day asking if I knew where Severus was or, if not, did I have the means to contact him. When I demanded why she needed to know she told me it was for you.” Lucius paused to set down his teacup and, resting his arm along the back of her sofa, leaned back to study her. “My initial inclination was to tell her no, I wouldn't help. But my curiosity got the best of me and I couldn't stop wondering what your reasons were for seeking him out. To the best of my knowledge you have had no contact with Severus in years. Why the sudden interest now?”

Hermione cleared her throat. “I have come into possession of several items that either belong to the professor or might be of some sentimental value to him. I'd like the chance to return them.

“I see,” Lucius said. “Well, I should be able to help you with that.”

Hermione's face lit up with a smile. “Oh, thank you, Lucius.”

“Of course, my dear. Simply give the items to me and I'll make sure he gets them.”

Hermione's smile faded. “NO! I mean... that is... no, thank you. Minerva offered the same, but for personal reasons of my own, I need to see him myself—to talk to him.”

“Hmm...” Lucius considered, wondering what was behind her insistence. “Then I suppose the best I can offer is this: I will explain all of this to Severus and if he wishes to meet with you to claim these items he can arrange to do so. If you do not hear from him, you may assume he's not interested and may keep them or dispose of them as you will.” He rose as if to leave.

“Wait! Mr. Malfoy... I mean Lucius... That's it? Do you mean to say you won't help me?” 

His brows drew together as he frowned down at her. “If returning a lost glove or a mislaid potions textbook is your most compelling argument for needing to see Severus, it is not enough for me to break my friend's confidence. The decision to meet you or not should be his.”

She muttered something under her breath that he couldn't quite catch, then sighed. “Alright. Returning those things to him was just an excuse.”

“Excuse? What do you mean?”

“I do have the items I spoke of, but they were merely a pretext, a way to get my foot in the door, so to speak. Shortly before I decided to leave my position at the Ministry, something happened. I can't explain it, except it seemed like a trigger, like a switch had been flipped, and I felt it was imperative that I find Severus Snape. I became obsessed; it's been like some sort of compulsion.” Hermione looked up at him helplessly, “I know I sound like a mad woman, but I swear to you I'm not.”

Lucius took a seat at the end of the sofa nearest her. He said nothing at first, merely leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, fingers intertwined as he tapped his forefingers against his lips in deliberation.

“Lucius please, say something.”

Startled, he looked up to see Hermione’s anxious gaze fixed on him. He'd been so deep in thought that he’d actually forgotten she was sitting there. “I certainly don't think you're mad. I think it's quite possible something else is at play here. Tell me about this thing that happened to set off this sudden yearning to find Severus.”

“I had been thinking for quite some time about leaving my job, but I had no plan at all as to what I would do next.” Her lips curved up a bit. “You don't know me very well, but anyone who does will tell you that Hermione Granger never does anything without a plan. On the day I learned for certain that Severus was alive and back in England, I think subconsciously a plan started forming in my brain, but I honestly didn't know what it was until I talked to Minerva. All I knew at the time was I had to find Professor Snape.”

Lucius noted with amusement that she waffled back and forth, calling him ‘Professor Snape’ when she remembered to but reverting to ‘Severus’ when she didn't stop to think of her words. “I don't want your theories right now, Hermione. Just tell me what happened from the beginning, when you learned about Severus being alive. Leave nothing out, even the smallest detail could be important.”

“I don't understand why you need to know all of this,” she objected.

“If you want my help to find Severus, then I need to know the reasons. The real reasons, not the surface ones. I think it's possible there may be more going on than you realize. Of course, if you don't want my help, you don't have to tell me anything.” He made a move as if to rise.

She put out a hand. “Stop. Alright, you win. I'll tell you, but as I said before I don't think the incident that started it is significant.” Leaning forward Hermione poured herself another cup of tea and hit it with a quick warming charm.

“About two weeks before I gave notice, I was in Harry’s office. We were going out to lunch, but he got called away for a few minutes to confer on a case with a junior Auror. He asked me to wait there for him. While I waited I noticed an evidence box sitting on his desk, the lid was half off. I was curious...”

“You snooped,” accused Lucius with a grin.

Hermione flushed slightly. “I was curious,” she repeated. “There were several items in the box, but the one that drew my attention was an oddly-colored piece of cloth. I don't know why I picked it up, I couldn't seem to stop myself, but as soon as I held it I realized it was a man's handkerchief, and that it was discolored because it was soaked with blood. I dropped it back into its container immediately but there was also a lab report, open to the last page, and I couldn't help but see the conclusion someone had written: the blood on the handkerchief was definitely identified as that of Severus Snape.”

At this point Hermione paused and took a shuddering breath. Lucius watched her in growing concern as she covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes closed and her jaw clenched as if she were trying to hold back tears. He reached out and patted her shoulder, “Are you alright, my dear?”

She nodded, then quickly shook her head no. She took several deep breaths and finally opened her eyes to look at him. He could see a sheen of tears as she whispered, “I'm sorry. It's just... at that point, for some reason, I assumed the bloody handkerchief in evidence meant that Severus was dead. My reaction was unexpected, to say the least.”

“Which was...?”

“I was completely overwhelmed by a feeling of utter devastation. It was like a wave of despair and grief had washed over me.” Hermione's left hand rose to clutch her chest. “I felt as though my heart was breaking.”

Lucius was quick to soothe her. “I can assure you that Severus is alive. I promise you.”

She gave him a wan smile. “I know. Harry told me that as well, after he yelled at me. He was furious with me, as apparently the file was considered confidential.”

“So you have no idea how the handkerchief with Severus' blood ended up as evidence?”

“Actually, I do. Harry wouldn't reveal any names aside from Severus but he did tell me what happened. Apparently there was an altercation in Knockturn Alley and one man attacked another, ambushed him. The professor stepped in to try to stop him and was injured as a result. The victim of the assault was able to subdue his attacker and tried to help Severus, but he couldn't stop the bleeding so he created an emergency Portkey and sent him off to St. Mungo’s for treatment. This was all before Harry and the other Aurors arrived. The victim explained the situation and said that Severus was a witness and would corroborate his report. For some reason, I got the idea Harry didn't totally trust the man and I think that's why he had the blood analyzed.”

Lucius sniffed. “What did he think, that this man was going to pawn some fake Snape off on the wizarding world? And how on earth could analyzing blood on a handkerchief show proof that it was truly Severus' blood?”

Hermione shrugged. “I suppose Harry might have suspected something like that—an elaborate glamour, or polyjuice maybe. As for the blood, I'm guessing the Aurors can do some sort of magical equivalent to DNA matching.”

“What’s a Dee Yennay?” asked Lucius in confusion. “Is it like a Veela?”

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle. “No, D-N-A, it stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, it's a molecule composed of two chains that coil around each other to form a double helix and... well it's quite complex and I'd love to discuss it with you, but let's not get into all that now. Suffice it say Muggles can use DNA to identify people from samples of their hair, blood, that sort of thing. I assume that the wizarding law enforcement world has developed something similar. Somewhere in the DMLE, or the Department of Mysteries there must be some sort of huge data bank... er... information storage facility with samples or reports they can compare to. But we're getting off the track.”

“Indeed we are. So, back to your reaction in Potter's office. What do you think caused that?”

She shook her head. “I have absolutely no idea. Prior to that day I hadn't given the professor more than a passing thought. Occasionally I might recall something that happened in school or during the war, or if I happened to hear one of those ridiculous rumours that are always floating around about him, then I'd think of him and wonder how he was. But otherwise not at all.”

“I heard a new one the other day,” Lucius said with a faint smile. “That he was living somewhere in the North woods of Canada, in a fishing shack of all places. I'm fairly certain Severus doesn't even like to fish.”

Hermione laughed. “I hadn't heard that one or I'm sure I would have checked it out too.”

Lucius' eyebrows rose halfway up his forehead. “What?”

“I quit the Ministry two weeks later with no other plan but to find Professor Snape,” she explained. “I spent most of the first two months following up every ridiculous rumour, every snippet in a gossip column, any tiny bit of information I could find, all to no avail.”

Lucius nodded. “I can see that approach wouldn't get you very far.”

“No, not at all. I finally decided that I should try asking the people he was once close to. I figured that his colleagues at Hogwarts would be a good place to start. But I needed an excuse, you see, a reason to be looking for him. I couldn't tell anyone the truth, that I had this mysterious but overwhelming need to track down my old Potions professor. It seemed like fate when I stumbled upon a box in my attic that contained several things that he might actually want to have back.”

“And that's when you went to Minerva?”

“Yes, a few days later. She wouldn’t tell me where Severus was, but she did tell me that if I'd come to Hogwarts instead of accepting Kingsley's offer I could have had my choice of apprenticeships: Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes...” Hermione paused, then added wistfully, “Even Potions.”

“Ahhh...” Lucius breathed, a glimmer of understanding dawning. “It was Potions that you wanted.”

Hermione nodded glumly. “Always. As student that was the subject that held the strongest appeal for me, but it was common knowledge that Professor Snape never took on apprentices, not ever. Minerva told me that he would have been willing to make an exception for me. I never knew. It could have changed everything. Maybe it still could.”

Lucius was quiet for a moment, and when he looked at Hermione there was something in his eyes akin to pity. “My dear, I fear he is not the same man now as he was after the war, or even as you remember him as your teacher. He has become very reclusive. I don't know if it's due to melancholy, or depression, or if he simply doesn't give a damn anymore. He doesn't keep in touch with old friends, he barely speaks to anyone aside from myself, and I'm sure that is only because he lives in my home. He rarely goes out in public, he stays in his rooms most of the time reading or dabbling in potions. He doesn't even do any research anymore, which he loved, and he certainly doesn't teach.”

“Just because he no longer teaches, he's still a Potions Master,” she objected. “He could take on an apprentice, if he chose to.”

“I suppose he could, but I dare say he won't. I'm sorry.”

Hermione ducked her head and bit her lip with a guilty expression. “He may not have a choice,” she mumbled.

Lucius' brow furrowed at the implied threat to his friend. “Explain yourself.”

“I have some... er...leverage,” Hermione whispered. “I never planned to use it. I don't want to use it now, but I may have to.”

“What sort of leverage?” Lucius demanded angrily. “Blackmail? If you think for a moment—”

“No, nothing like that,” Hermione rushed to explain. “He owes me a life debt. I was never going to use it. I know he spent half his life being coerced to do things he really didn't want to. It's the last thing I want to do even now.”

Lucius didn’t know quite what he had expected to find underpinning Hermione’s wish to find Severus, but it hadn't been that. “How very Slytherin of you. I had no idea. Severus has never mentioned it.”

Hermione grimaced. “Actually, I'm not sure he knows. He might think it was Minerva.”

“How could he possibly not know?”

Hermione swallowed hard. “It was right before the battle at Hogwarts. Voldemort called Severus to the Shrieking Shack where he set Nagini on him. It was horrible, so much blood everywhere!” Her face was pale and she looked a bit sick.

“Wait,” gasped Lucius. “You actually witnessed the attack?”

Hermione nodded grimly. “We were hiding, Harry, Ron, and I. We'd hidden and watched through a grate. As soon as Voldemort left we rushed in. The professor was still conscious, but just barely. He gave Harry some of his memories. The boys ran back to the castle to find a Pensieve to view them but I stayed behind to see if I could help him. I tried to cover the wound but it soaked through the bandage almost immediately.”

“You must have been frantic, blood everywhere, all over your hands, your clothes.” Lucius shuddered at the thought. “How could you even function?”

She paused and gave him a little smile. “Remember earlier, when I said I was a planner? Well, when we took off searching for Horcruxes, I brought along all the emergency potions I could think of. I still had most of them with me that day. I used dittany on the wound and it healed enough to nearly stop the bleeding. I also gave him Blood Replenishing Potion. Pain Potion, and Strengthening Potion.” She grimaced. “I didn't have any anti-venom, though, and I knew if the venom spread he would die. I considered some sort of stasis spell, but I didn't know of one strong enough for an entire human body. I did shove a bezoar under his tongue, but I didn't really think it would be effective for snake venom. I couldn't take a chance, so I did the only other thing I could think of. I petrified him.”

Lucius nearly choked. “You _petrified_ Severus Snape?”

“Well, it wasn't as if he could do anything to stop me, he was unconscious,” she retorted. “After the battle, when Harry revealed the professor's true allegiance, I found Minerva and brought her out to the shack. Between the two of us we Apparated him to St. Mungo’s. Luckily they had the correct anti-venom to treat him with. They said petrification was a crude method but had likely saved his life by slowing his entire system down and stopping the spread of the poison throughout his body.”

“And he never discovered it was you who saved him?” asked Lucius in disbelief.

“I don't believe so. I think the Healers would have told him it was Minerva who brought him in, so he probably assumes she was the one who saved him,” she answered.

Lucius leaned back and studied her intently for so long that Hermione began to squirm in her seat. He finally spoke. “While I do admire the Slytherin aspect of your plan, I strongly suggest you avoid calling in the life debt. You should keep it in your pocket and use it only as the very last resort. Forcing Severus' hand would get you your apprenticeship, but he would not hesitate to make your life miserable in retaliation.”

Hermione bobbed her head in agreement. “I told you I never intended to use it at all, and I hope I won't have to now.” Suddenly her face broke out into a bright smile. “So does this mean you’ll help me meet with Severus?”

“I believe I will. Merlin knows Severus needs something to pull him out of this funk he's been in. He needs a challenge, and you, my dear girl, are nothing if not a challenge.” He thought for a moment then said decisively, “Pack some bags. You’re coming back to the Manor with me.”

Her smile faded. “What? No...why would I need to stay with you?”

Lucius rolled his eyes, as if to suggest that the rumours of her intelligence were highly overrated. “Think, Hermione. If I take you to see Severus, and if he deigns to see you, what do you think he will do?”

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Lucius continued on. “I will tell you what he'll do. He will allow you to present your ruse for meeting him, he will either accept or reject your little tokens, then he will send you on your way. Even if you manage to convince him to listen to your idea of an apprenticeship, I guarantee you he won't agree. And you won’t have a second chance – he won't agree to see you again. Unless you’re willing to use your ace in the hole at the very start, which will most likely infuriate him, you are defeated before you even begin.”

She gave him an unhappy glare. “And how will my staying at the Manor improve my chances?”

“Because, you silly girl, Severus lives in the west wing. We will install you in the Manor on some pretext or other. Perhaps we can use Minerva for that – we'll say that I owe her a favor and she wants me to take you in for some reason, a threat to you, whatever.” He waved a hand dismissively. “We'll figure out the details of all that.”

“And then?” she said impatiently.

“My dear, imagine the possibilities. Severus comes to get a book from the library and there's Hermione. He comes down to afternoon tea, in walks Hermione. He goes out to wander the estate and collect potions ingredients and lo and behold, who does he run into?”

“Hermione!” she concluded, throwing her hands up with a laugh.

“Exactly. You can wear him down over time. It's your best shot.”

She grasped his hand warmly in both of hers. “Lucius, I can't thank you enough for your help.”

Lucius raised her hand to his lips to drop a kiss on her knuckles. “I'm not just doing this for you, my dear. I really am worried for my friend. Something needs to change and I have not been able to make any headway myself.”

“I don't know if I can help, but I will try my damnedest, I promise you. I'll go pack a couple of bags, and then we’ll fabricate a believable backstory.”

Lucius watched her as she headed upstairs to gather her things. He couldn't help but think that the young witch and Severus had so many traits in common: the magic was incredibly strong in both of them, they were highly intelligent, they were both drawn to potions, they were devoted bibliophiles, and of course, both were loyal to a fault. This might be just the thing to bring his old friend back to himself, he mused. And if Hermione's compulsion to find Severus was grounded in the magic he believed it was, this would be the best outcome for her as well. Now if only he could pull it off...

TBC


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a fit of anger and frustration, Hermione resigns from her position as a department head at the Ministry of Magic. The problem is, in a very un-Hermione-like move, she has absolutely no plan for what comes next, except for this niggling idea that she simply _must_ find Severus Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Unending thanks to my fantastic beta, delphipsmith, for all her hard work and for putting up with me, she's a true wonder. Also thanks to iqeret for the great prompts, I hope my offering meets your approval.
> 
> This fic was posted originally at Livejournal on the 2018 sshg_giftfest.

Chapter 3

Hermione stood in the large open foyer of the Manor and looked around; nothing here frightened her anymore. She'd been here for several charity events since the war had ended.

Lucius had escaped prosecution when it was revealed that, near the end, he'd switched allegiance and had been responsible for passing vital information to Kingsley and others. That in addition to Harry's testimony for the Malfoys assured that they went free. But Lucius' marriage had been a casualty of the war: shortly after the proceedings ended Narcissa had divorced him and moved to the continent. Afterward, he hadn't even tried to reclaim his previous political clout, although for Draco's sake he had tried to re-establish the family's presence in wizarding's new society by using the vast Malfoy fortunes to create more than one charitable foundation. Thus the Manor had been the site of many events, galas, balls, and fundraisers. Draco had even used the place once to host a work-related conference that she'd attended. 

Lucius stepped in front of her, and his finger rose to catch her under the chin and lift her gaze to his. “Hermione, are you alright?” He tipped her face slightly to the side and gently ran his fingertip along the scar Bella's knife had left on her neck. “I hadn't thought that this might be difficult for you—staying here, I mean. I'm sorry, perhaps this was a bad idea.”

“No, it wasn't, Lucius. Yes, horrible things did happen to me here, but if I avoided the many places where horrible things happened during those years, I'd have to leave the country entirely.” Hermione smiled softly. “While I didn't think so back then, now I can see that at the time you were trying to protect your family, and keep your cover.” She paused and looked into his face, studying him closely. “Is that why you decided to help me? Is this some form of atonement for what happened to me here back then?”

One corner of his mouth tipped up and he shrugged. “Atonement? I hadn't thought so, but perhaps it is, in more ways than one. I have things to make up to Severus for as well, and if by helping quench this aching need within you to find him, I also help to heal Severus, so much the better for us all.”

Hermione reached up to untie the ribbon securing the hood of her cloak but Lucius' hand stayed her movement. He leaned closer, and for a brief crazy second she thought he was going to kiss her, but his lips settled next to her ear instead and he whispered, “And speak of the devil...”

“Wh... what?” she stammered, not understanding.

“I noticed the door to the sitting room open just a crack a few minutes ago,” he whispered. “I'm sure our resident spy is at work even as we speak. That's why I positioned myself in front of you, to block his view. I don't want to deal with him tonight, we'll let him stew for a while. Keep your hood up as I show you to your room so he won't be able to discern your identity. His curiosity will drive him mad all night and force him out of his rooms tomorrow to discover what's going on.”

Hermione nodded in agreement and they made their way up the grand staircase. 

~*~*~*~*~

Severus had been in the main floor sitting room, half dozing before the fire, a book lying open on his lap and a glass of Lucius' twenty-year scotch in his hand. The bastard had hidden his extra special forty-year bottle, saying it was only for special celebrations and that it seemed as if Severus thought every day was a special celebration. Well hell, he'd survived the machinations of both Voldemort and Dumbledore, not to mention years of teaching dunderheads at Hogwarts and another five years of wandering the world before returning home. Every day did feel like it should be celebrated. 

Of course, he knew that his actions of late had worried his old friend. He'd been in a funk for the past several months and didn't know what to do about it. Before he'd heard the sounds of Lucius arriving home he'd already decided it was time to sit down and have a serious talk with his old friend. 

Voices roused him from his sleepy state, and Severus got up to see what was going on. Moving silently to the door, he carefully turned the knob and slid the door open just a sliver so he could see down the hallway to the entryway. There was a woman with Lucius, but Severus had no idea who she was. Severus twisted his neck trying to get a better angle to see her face when Lucius moved to stand in front of her, thus blocking Severus' view. With some surprise, he heard Lucius tell one of the house elves to prepare a suite for his guest, who would be staying for an extended visit. While it wasn't unheard of for Lucius to bring a feminine companion home for a day or two, they'd never been invited to stay for longer. 

Severus smiled to himself as he fondly recalled several of those occasions when the lady in question had been more than willing to share her affections with both of them. “Hmm... I wonder,” Severus said under his breath. Perhaps Lucius had brought her here in an effort to break Severus out of his doldrums via some extended physical activity of a carnal nature. In his opinion, it seemed like an excellent idea, and one he'd be willing to put to the test. Still, he was quite certain his friend would never invite a casual companion for an extended stay. Neither of them could stand for their solitude to be intruded upon for that long.

Looking down the hallway a moment later, Severus reconsidered Lucius' intentions toward the mystery woman. He watched Lucius lean in close and Severus was quite sure he was going to kiss her, but instead, he tipped his head to the side to whisper in her ear. After several seconds of hushed conversation that left him wishing he had a set of Weasley's Extendable Ears handy, he saw her nod in agreement and they started up the staircase. Severus nudged the door open a scant bit more but he still couldn't get a look at her face. Damn.

Severus returned to his chair to finish his drink. He expected Lucius to come downstairs for a nightcap, giving him a chance to pump his friend for information. But after more than half an hour trying to read, he realized that he was scanning the same paragraph over and over. He closed the book and set it aside. Lucius was evidently not coming back down; he would have to wait for tomorrow to get any answers. 

~*~*~*~*~

Lucius was just reaching for the gooseberry jam to spread on his toast when Severus entered the family dining room. The Manor did have a formal dining room, of course, but that was for banquets or receptions, whereas the family dining room was more suitable for smaller more casual groups of twenty or less. Severus dropped inelegantly into his chair and Mim appeared immediately at his side with a hot cup of strong black coffee and a small cream pitcher. The house elves knew Severus well enough by now that they didn't bother him at all until he'd had his morning brew. 

To be on the safe side, Lucius waited until Severus had sucked down half the cup before he looked up and did a double-take. “Good goddess man, you look terrible. Rough night?”

Severus glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and replied tersely, “I didn't sleep well.” He studied Lucius more closely, his eyes narrowed. “You, however, look remarkably well rested for a man who should be thoroughly shagged out this morning. Losing your touch, Romeo?”

Lucius raised an eyebrow. “Shagged out! What on earth are you talking about?”

“I was in the sitting room when I heard you come in last night. I heard voices so I checked before barging in and I know that you brought a... _friend_ home with you. The two of you looked very cozy before you headed upstairs. Who is she?” Before Lucius had a chance to reply, Severus added, “I was actually wondering if she were anything like Colette, or Fiona, or Estelle. If so, we all might, er, get along very well together.” __

_ _Lucius nearly choked on the bite of sausage he'd just swallowed. “Merlin, no, Severus! She is nothing like them at all,” he retorted._ _

_ _“Oh, well then, alright,” Severus said as he set his cup down for Mim to refill. “I understand that sometimes we don't want to share our treasures. If you feel especially attached to this... _lady,_ I certainly will not interfere.”_ _

_ _Lucius sputtered a moment before regaining his composure. “It's not like that. The lady in question is not a romantic conquest, she's simply a house guest. She needed a place to stay and I owed a mutual friend a favor. In fact. you know her, and fairly well I'd wager...”_ _

_ _At that moment Hermione breezed into the room. “Good morning, gentlemen,” she called out brightly before she settled into a seat. “I hope I'm not too late for breakfast.”_ _

_ _Severus' head snapped up so fast the coffee he'd been sipping dribbled down his chin. “Damn it all!” he bellowed, dabbing at his face and his shirt. “What in hell are you doing here, Granger?”_ _

_ _“Having breakfast,” she answered in a tone that implied it was obvious. “Is that coffee? Great, I'll have some too.”_ _

_ _“Are you here for a meeting with Lucius about one of his charities or something?”_ _

_ _Hermione looked confused. “Ahh... nooo.”_ _

_ _Lucius decided it was time to change the subject. “Did you sleep well, Hermione?”_ _

_ _“Like a baby, Lucius. That mattress was like floating on a cloud.”_ _

_ _“Miss Granger is your house guest?” snapped Severus in disbelief._ _

_ _“Oh come now, Severus,” tutted Lucius. “No need for formality, it's simply Hermione. You don't mind, do you, dear?” _ _

_ _“Oh, certainly not, Lucius. I'd prefer it.”_ _

_ _“Very good. And you may call him Severus, of course.”_ _

_ _“I'd love to.”_ _

_ _Severus stood so quickly that his chair skidded back with a loud squeal. “Lucius, I need to speak to you privately,” he growled. “Now.” He started for the door and stopped to look back when he realized that Lucius wasn't following. _ _

_ _Lucius looked down at his plate. “I wasn't done yet.”_ _

_ _“You're done. I'll be in my study.” He turned on his heel and stalked out._ _

_ _Lucius heaved a sigh and stood. “I'd best take care of this before he works himself into a tizzy.”_ _

_ _Hermione looked hesitantly at the door. “Should I...” She waggled her fingers between herself and the doorway._ _

_ _“No, stay here, dear. Mim has your breakfast ready, you go ahead and eat. No point in waiting.” Lucius rolled his eyes as he headed for the door. “This might take a while.”_ _

_ _Hermione watched Lucius leave to beard the lion in his den, then slumped down into her chair. “Well, that didn't go nearly as bad as I expected it to,” she muttered, as she reached for her plate._ _

_ _~*~*~*~*~_ _

_ _After breakfast, Hermione spent the rest of the morning exploring the legendary Malfoy library. She was in heaven! Although she'd had glimpses of the library when she'd been here for charity events, it had never been open to guests during those times. She'd only been allowed to gaze longingly from the doorway. It was so much better to finally be inside._ _

_ _Her intention had been to choose a book and retire to one of the many sunny nooks scattered around the library to read. Instead, she got lost in the stacks. Not _actually lost_, it was just that once she found a book she wanted, she couldn't resist checking out the next row of shelves. And the one after that, and the one after that, and so on, until she had a whole pile of books set aside and she realized she had to make herself stop or she'd never leave. That was where Lucius found her, trying to narrow down her choices to two or three instead of eleven or twelve. _ _

_ _“I should have known I'd find you in here,” he said with a chuckle as he called a house elf to take half the pile up to Hermione's room. “You know you don't have to hoard them. You're living here for now, and you're free to come to get more books whenever the urge strikes.”_ _

_ _Hermione laughed. “Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away. I'll re-shelve these others.”_ _

_ _Lucius put a hand on her arm to stop her. “No need. I have a staff of library elves who will take care of them. Come, I've ordered a light luncheon. It's nice enough outside, we'll eat on the terrace. We should talk.”_ _

_ _He led her through the French doors where a table was set. Hermione noticed there were only two place settings. “I take it that Severus won't be joining us?”_ _

_ _Lucius grimaced and shook his head as placed his napkin on his lap. “No, he's having a bit of a tantrum, but I'm in hopes that he'll cool off and we will see him at dinner.” _ _

_ _Hermione sighed. “I underestimated how upset he'd be about me being here. I know Minerva said he's become very reclusive, but it's not like I'm a complete stranger to him. Did you tell him the story about why you're letting me stay here, and did he seem to believe it?”_ _

_ _“Yes. As we decided, I tried to stay close to the truth. I told him that a friend had called in a favor and wanted me to find a safe, quiet place for you to stay for a while. When he pressed for details I gave the excuse that I'd promised my friend to keep it confidential. Of course, if he comes to you for answers, you'll have to decide how much to tell him. I should warn you that he sussed out fairly quickly that said 'friend' was Minerva.”_ _

_ _“What? How did he figure that out so fast? Did he use Legilimency?” _ _

_ _“Oh, he wouldn't dare try that on me,” Lucius smiled. “I'm a better than average Occlumens if I do say so myself. But considering the players involved, it wouldn't be too hard for him to reason it out. I honestly don't have many 'friends' these days, even fewer that I might owe favors to, and fewer still for whom I'd be willing to fulfill said favors. Plus he does know of my familial relationship with Minerva, and that she is very fond of you, so she wouldn't hesitate to coerce me into helping you. Don't worry, though – I have spoken with Minerva and she knows you mean Severus no harm, so she will back up our story.”_ _

_ _Hermione picked at her salad. “I just can't believe that he stormed out like that. I'm afraid this is going to be harder than I thought.”_ _

_ _“It's only the first day, Hermione. That was the whole point of you moving onto the premises, to wear him down gradually,” Lucius reassured her._ _

_ _“I guess so,” she agreed grudgingly._ _

_ _“Tell me something, I'm curious. Now that you've found Severus, have the feelings subsided? The compulsion?” _ _

_ _Hermione paused to consider for a moment. “I'd have to say yes... and no. Obviously, I've found him, so I no longer feel a driving need to keep looking for him. Still, something doesn't feel right. Knowing that he's here isn't enough. I need more somehow, I just can't explain what.” She looked at Lucius helplessly._ _

_ _He tapped a finger to his lips thoughtfully and offered, “I think what you crave is a connection. That's why you hit upon the idea of an apprenticeship.”_ _

_ _She raised one shoulder in a wan attempt at a shrug. “Maybe, but years ago a potions apprenticeship really was something I considered and wanted. I didn't just make that part up.”_ _

_ _“Hmm... so perhaps the seeds were sown long ago...”_ _

_ _Hermione's brow creased. “I don't understand what you're implying.”_ _

_ _“I have a theory.” He returned to his lunch without elaborating._ _

_ _“Lucius!” Hermione exclaimed in frustration. “You can't just say that and not explain. What theory?”_ _

_ _He shook his head. “No, it's too soon. If I tell you my thoughts, they could influence your actions. You could, in turn, make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. No, my dear girl, everything must play out as it should. If things become more clear, _then_ I will gladly tell you my theories.” He took the last bite of his sandwich and stood. “Now, I have some Malfoy Foundation work to attend to. I trust you can find something to occupy yourself with this afternoon. Dinner will be served at seven o'clock, but you can come down early if you'd like to share an aperitif.”_ _

_ _Hermione made a face. “You are so frustrating! You really aren't going to tell me?”_ _

_ _Lucius chuckled, tapping his finger to the tip of her nose. “No, I am not. I'll see you later at dinner.”_ _

_ _~*~*~*~*~_ _

_ _To Hermione's disappointment, Severus did not show up for afternoon tea or dinner. In fact, she didn't see anything of him for the next three days. Apparently, he was avoiding her like the plague. In desperation, she shrank down the package of things she planned to return to him and carried it in her pocket. Her plan: to ambush him, if necessary, to break down his resistance and get him to speak with her. _ _

_ _At breakfast on the fourth day, Lucius casually mentioned that Severus usually spent Thursday mornings working in the Manor's extensive herb garden. Hermione took the hint, got directions from Mim, borrowed a basket to collect some herbs, and headed outside to lie in wait. That was where Severus found her – or, to be more accurate, where he nearly tripped over her. _ _

_ _“What the hell are you doing down there, Granger?”_ _

_ _“Oh, hello Sever... er... that is... professor.” _ _

_ _“Professor? Why the formality? I seem to recall you were granted permission to use my given name,” he said, looking down his nose to where she knelt on the ground. _ _

_ _Hermione leaned back, craning her neck to look up at him. “Yes, well perhaps I was, but you weren't the one to grant it, were you? And that hardly seems fair. Although I wouldn't mind if you called me Hermione. I'd prefer it, in fact. But if you want me to address you more formally, I can deal with that.”_ _

_ _He grunted. “Truth be told, I really don't give a tinker’s damn either way. You may call me Severus if it pleases you.”_ _

_ _The corners of Hermione's lips curved up in a soft smile. “Thank you, Severus, it does please me. Very much.”_ _

_ _“You never answered my question. What are you doing out here?” His tone was still gruff, but he didn't sound as angry as he had at first. _ _

_ _“I'm gathering a few herbs. You wouldn't know if there's a patch of stinging nettles around anywhere, would you? I know it's not quite the right season, but from what I've seen the Malfoy gardens appear to have some magically climate-controlled sections. I assume that's to allow access to certain plants year-round? It's a brilliant idea.”_ _

_ _Severus nodded. “It is. I wish I could take credit for it, but I got the idea from Longbottom.”_ _

_ _Hermione shifted to the side and then groaned. “Oooh... I've been kneeling here too long. I think my feet have gone numb.” As she attempted to rise Severus reach out to offer her his hand, but once she was upright her knees buckled and she stumbled, falling against him. “Sorry,” she gasped. He quickly slid his arm behind her for support and steered her to a nearby bench. Before sitting next to her he retrieved her basket and placed it between them. _ _

_ _“Hmm... rosemary, mint, lavender,” he muttered as one long finger poked around at the herbs she had gathered. “Butterbur, feverfew, garlic, and you were looking for nettles...”_ _

_ _“I have seasonal allergies,” Hermione explained. “I'm trying to be proactive before the season is upon us and they actually kick in. I was hoping Lucius might have a space I could use to brew some allergy and headache potions.”_ _

_ _Severus snorted. “A Potions Master lives on the premises. Of course there's a lab.”_ _

_ _“Yes, I know, but that's _your_ lab. I understand that you value your privacy so I didn't want to intrude.”_ _

_ _He heaved a huge sigh. “I suppose I can spare you a bit of lab space, the use of a couple of cauldrons, and a few additional ingredients.” _ _

_ _“Thank you, Severus. It's very kind of you to offer.”_ _

_ _“You know, I probably have the potions on hand that you need; if not it would be a simple matter for me to brew them for you myself.”_ _

_ _“Oh,” Hermione's face fell. “Alright.”_ _

_ _Severus squinted at her and frowned. “You don't trust my potions?”_ _

_ _“Oh no, it's not that,” she hurried to explain. “It's just that... well, I _like_ brewing my own potions. I've been doing it for years. Plus, I thought it would give me something to do while I'm here. I fear that I'm a little bit bored already. Of course, I'm sure it would be easier for you to brew them, and it would keep me out of your hair...”_ _

_ _Severus cut in. “Hermione, stop. I have no problem with sharing some space in my lab with you. We will work something out.”_ _

_ _A huge smile spread across her face. “That's wonderful! Thank you.” _ _

_ _She fingered the shrunken box in her pocket hesitantly. This was where she should have given him the contents, thus completing her first task. Then she could move on to her request for an apprenticeship. He seemed to be softening toward her at least a little bit already. He was being polite—mostly. Even being nice—sort of. Perhaps she should wait until later to give him the box after they had established a better rapport. _ _

_ _~*~*~*~*~_ _

_ _Severus gruffly declined her invitation to join her for lunch, although he mentioned that he would probably see her at dinner, which seemed promising. She worried that he would change his mind, but when she came downstairs that evening, she heard both him and Lucius in the sitting room chatting animatedly. She even heard Severus laugh at something Lucius said — she'd never heard him laugh before. As she entered, Lucius rose to greet her with a quick buss on the cheek, inquiring about her day, and leading her to sit next to Severus on the settee as he went to refresh their drinks and get one for her._ _

_ _Severus seemed more subdued once she entered the room. Alone with Lucius there had been a casual camaraderie that was missing now. Most of the conversation was between Lucius and herself, with Severus only interjecting a comment occasionally. Why did she feel so awkward around the man, she wondered. She'd known him for years, it really shouldn't be this hard. Maybe this whole idea was stupid. She should just give him his things and leave, forget about the apprenticeship. However, as soon as she imagined walking away, possibly never seeing him again, she was suddenly awash with a wave of sadness. It was not nearly as severe as the episode in Harry's office when she'd thought Severus was dead, but strong enough that she gasped and clutched her hand to her chest._ _

_ _“Hermione?” Lucius leaned forward in obvious concern. “Are you alright, my dear? You've gone terribly pale.”_ _

_ _Severus slid closer, observing her carefully before reaching out to touch her wrist. Was he actually checking her pulse? Whatever he was doing, his touch seemed to have a calming effect on her. She shook her head and tried to laugh it off. “I'm sorry, I really don't know what that was. I just had a sudden chill go down my spine. I suppose my old Irish granny would have said she'd just felt someone walk across her grave.”_ _

_ _Lucius shuddered. “Merlin, that's a morbid thought. Come, let's get some hot food into you. That will make you feel better.”_ _

_ _~*~*~*~*~_ _

_ _At dinner things seemed to smooth out after the rocky start to the evening. The excellent meal, along with the generous offerings from the Malfoy wine cellar, seemed to loosen Severus' tongue and he was more sociable than she had yet seen him. Hermione couldn't help but notice Lucius glancing pointedly at her and then back to Severus. She didn't know what it was he wanted her to do, but she figured it out when he took matters into his own hands as they finished dessert._ _

_ _“I have a bit of correspondence I must finish tonight,” he said as he stood. “Severus, why don't you escort Hermione back to the sitting room and keep her company, and I will join you in a bit for our chess match.” As Severus and Hermione stood Lucius paused at the doorway. “Oh, by the way, Hermione has something for you. She's been quite anxious to give it to you.” Without another word, he strode off to his study. _ _

_ _Damn the man, Hermione thought. Nothing like forcing her hand. She looked up to see Severus glaring at her through narrowed eyes. Double damn, he was such a suspicious bastard. “Severus, let me ex—”_ _

_ _“What the fuck are you up to Granger?” he snarled, turning away from her. _ _

_ _So much for the rapport she'd thought they were building. “Wait,” she cried, grabbing his arm, but he pulled away forcefully, throwing her off balance. She would have fallen to the floor if he hadn't caught her. He pulled her up and shoved her toward the wall as if he thought she needed the support to keep her upright, and maybe she did. “I have no idea why you are so angry,” she said quietly, “but I swear it's not whatever you're thinking. I can explain if you'll just give me the chance.”_ _

_ _He stared at her coldly, and she felt the glimmer of something pushing against her mind. “Stop! Don't you dare do that.” She was no slouch at Occlumency herself. “I told you I would explain, and I will if you let me.” Hermione felt the sting of tears, and the last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him. She blinked hard. “Please, Severus.”_ _

_ _He took a huge breath in and blew it out slowly. “Very well,” he said curtly, his voice controlled now. “Perhaps... I overreacted. Come along.” He spun and strode toward the sitting room, not even looking to see if she followed. _ _

_ _~*~*~*~*~_ _

_ _Severus stood with his arms crossed over his chest and waited for Hermione to take a seat. She chose the love seat they'd sat on earlier. He took a seat across from her, placing a low table between them. She looked nervous as she pulled something from her pocket and set it on the table, enlarging it with her wand to a medium-sized box._ _

_ _He gave her a questioning look. “You just happened to have it with you? Whatever ‘it’ is?”_ _

_ _She sighed. “I had planned to give it to you as soon as I found you. But that first morning in the dining room... you barely spoke to me. Then you stormed off and I didn't see you again for days. So I’ve been carrying it with me, hoping I'd run into you. Earlier, in the herb garden...” she paused as if carefully considering her words, “Well, you'd just barely started being civil toward me. I didn't want to ruin it, so I decided to wait till later.” She looked up at him and shrugged. “I guess it's later. Go ahead and open it.”_ _

_ _Severus stared at the box for a long while. _ _

_ _“Severus,” Hermione's voice broke into his thoughts. _ _

_ _He looked up at her and could detect no malice in her expression. _ _

_ _“There's nothing bad in there, I promise. Whatever you thought this was about, it isn't.”_ _

_ _He wanted to believe her, but something had put him on edge from the first moment he'd realized who Lucius' mystery woman was. He couldn't explain what it was, and as irrational as it might be he couldn't shake the feeling. He reached for the box, carefully peeled off the tape, and opened the flaps. Reaching in he pulled out a book. He glanced at the cover, then looked at her quizzically. “It's a sixth-year potions book.”_ _

_ _She grinned. “Right in one professor, go to the head of the class. Open it.”_ _

_ _He did and his eyes widened. _ _

_ _“It's _your_ sixth-year potions book,” she declared with obvious glee. _ _

_ _“The Half-Blood Prince,” he read with a chuckle. “Sweet Salazar. I thought I was so clever, so very mysterious.” He leafed through the pages, then looked up at Hermione. “And this came into your possession how?”_ _

_ _Her smile faded. “Harry. Since he hadn’t scored high enough to take potions from you that year, he didn’t buy the textbook. But when Professor Slughorn took over teaching Potions he wanted Harry in his class, so he changed the rules. Harry didn't have a book, so the professor just grabbed one off the shelf and gave it to him.”_ _

_ _“Hmm... now I understand why Horace kept praising him for his potions skills, I thought he was just pandering to Potter.”_ _

_ _Hermione laughed. “Yeah, it took me a long time to figure out why Harry was suddenly a potions genius. It damn near drove me mad.”_ _

_ _Severus set the book aside and, peeling off the tissue paper between the layers, he pulled out three more books and a sheaf of handwritten notes. Frowning, he studied them for a moment. “These are mine also, but I know for a fact that Albus borrowed them from me and never returned them. How did you...?”_ _

_ _“I... umm...acquired those in a rather unconventional manner,” she said, looking flustered and somewhat guilty. “At the end of our sixth year, before we'd even left Hogwarts for the summer, we'd all decided we wouldn't be coming back in the fall. We knew we'd be hunting for Horcruxes, probably on the run. Me being me, I needed to bring as much information with me as possible, so I commandeered certain books, mostly from the Headmaster's office. I didn't specifically request these, but aside from Horcruxes, I was looking for information on things like emergency healing potions, how to locate potions ingredients and edibles in the wild, defensive spells, and protective spells, that sort of thing.”_ _

_ _Severus thought for a moment then snapped out a question. “Quickly. What are the top five things to have on hand for emergency healing treatments?”_ _

_ _Without even taking time to think, Hermione ticked off on her fingers. “Pain Potion, Strengthening Potion, Blood Replenishing Potion, dittany for the healing of wounds, and a bezoar for poisons.”_ _

_ _Severus nodded and one corner of his mouth tipped upward as he said teasingly, “Very good, Miss Granger. It appears you did do your homework.”_ _

_ _Hermione stared at him, her eyes growing moist, then she pursed her lips and looked away. “I had to,” she whispered. “People’s lives depended on it.”_ _

_ _He studied her for a moment, realizing he'd never really considered what the three of them must have gone through that last year leading up to the end. Of course, he'd had his own nightmare to deal with by then. Still, he regretted making her sad just now. _ _

_ _“Is that the last of it then?” Severus asked, preparing to return the books to the box. _ _

_ _“No,” she said, trying to unobtrusively wipe a tear from her cheek. “There's one more layer on the bottom. It's the best one. I think so, at least.”_ _

_ _He tugged out the final layer of tissue and pulled out another book, an old edition of _Hogwarts: A History_. His brows drew together. “This isn't mine.”_ _

_ _“I know, but I think you'll want it. Open it up,” she ordered eagerly, her good spirits obviously restored._ _

_ _He did and froze. He raised the fingers of his left hand to his lips as his eyes scanned the inscription over and over. “_Property of Eileen Isabelle Prince_,” he finally read, his voice barely audible. “How in Merlin’s name...”_ _

_ _“It is your mother's, right?” At his nod, she crowed happily. “Yes! That one I came by legally. I found it in a little used-book shop in Liverpool. I asked the owner if he knew its origins, but all he could tell me was that someone had picked up a box of miscellaneous junk at an auction, and brought it in to sell.”_ _

_ _“I can't imagine how it ended up there,” said Severus, still staring at his mother's handwriting._ _

_ _“That's not all,” declared Hermione in excitement, “Or at least I hope it's not.” She pulled the box toward her and rummaged around in the bottom, finally pulling out a worn leather drawstring bag. “I showed the proprietor the inscription in the book and explained that I knew the woman's son and wanted to buy it to return it to him. He took this out from behind the counter and gave it to me.” She carefully worked the leather drawstring loose. “He said this was in the same box as the book, although he couldn't guarantee they'd actually belonged to the same person.” She carefully tipped four items out of the pouch onto the table and picked up one of them, a gold cameo necklace. “But I think they did because I opened this locket and I'm nearly positive that this is a picture of you inside.”_ _

_ _Severus stared in utter disbelief as he took it from Hermione's hand. He cradled it in his palm for a moment before he opened it. “Yes, this is my mother's locket. I can hardly believe it.” Indeed, a nine-year-old Severus stared back at him. Carefully laying the locket down as if it might shatter, he picked up the two rings. “My Grandfather Prince's signet ring," he said, slipping it onto his finger. "And Gran's wedding ring.” He studied the wedding ring. A large oval-cut ruby in the center surrounded by diamonds, all in an antique gold setting, the band etched with a series of delicate swirls. _ _

_ _Last he reached for the pocket watch. “Also my Grandfather Prince's.” Severus picked it up and carefully twisted the stem, winding it up, then held it to his ear. He grinned at Hermione. “It still runs!” _ _

_ _He shook his head in wonder. “I always assumed my father had sold these things to get money for booze. Maybe he did, and they ended up in someone else’s hands and eventually inside that box from the auction. But the fact that the jewelry was with the book makes me think that perhaps my mother kept them all together and hid them somewhere.”_ _

_ _“I guess we'll never know, but at least they're back where they belong now,” Hermione concluded with a happy smile. _ _

_ _“But why did you wait until now? You must have had most of this in your possession for years.”_ _

_ _Her smile faded. “Yes. But after the war, I didn't want to think about that last year and why I'd needed those books. So I packed them away and forgot about them. Your mother's things I didn't acquire until later – I would have returned them immediately but by then no one knew where you were. So I stored the box at Harry's with the rest of my stuff until I moved into my own house. When Harry brought my things over we just hauled them up to the attic and I promptly forgot about them again. Until a few months ago.”_ _

_ _“What happened then? Did you start looking for me?" He noticed that she seemed a bit nervous now, avoiding his gaze and choosing her words very carefully. He was suspicious by nature and while he was grateful for the return of his things, he was beginning to doubt her motives._ _

_ _“I had just quit my job at the ministry, so I had lots of time on my hands. One day I was puttering around in the attic—organizing, sort of. That's when I found your things again. It got me to thinking about you and I decided to try to find out where you were. I'm sure you know there are quite a few rumours floating around about you but they all led me nowhere, so I decided to talk to people who I thought you might have kept in touch with.”_ _

_ _“So you approached Lucius?” He knew she hadn't, but he wanted to see if she'd lie about it. She still hadn't look at him since she'd started explaining her search for him._ _

_ _“Lucius?” She jerked in surprise and swallowed nervously. “N... no... of course not... finding you through him was a...a... fortuitous coincidence.”_ _

_ _Severus had to bite his lips to contain his amusement. Was she actually trying to protect Lucius?_ _

_ _“It was Minerva whom I approached, but she told me that although she heard from you occasionally she had no idea of your whereabouts, so that was a dead end. I also told her I needed a place to hide out for awhile.”_ _

_ _She seemed calmer now, he noted, but the pinkie finger of her left hand was tapping against her knee at warp speed. Lord, he hoped she never played poker. With a tell so blatant, she'd end up naked... Now why had his mind immediately gone to strip poker? _ _

_ _“You see,” Hermione hurried on, “since I quit the Ministry I've been hounded relentlessly: by the press, by the public, by well-meaning friends who think they know what's best for me, by my former boss who seems unwilling to accept my decision. I was getting Howlers and people attempting to breach my wards every day. It all got to be too much, and I just wanted to get away for awhile. That was when Minerva told me she knew someone who owed her a favor. She said this person had a very secure home in the country with unbreakable wards, so I wouldn’t be disturbed, and lots of room, so I wouldn't be in anyone's way.” She took a deep breath. “So, that's how I ended up here and, as luck would have it, found you.”_ _

_ _He nodded in understanding. “I see. Yes, it was lucky for me indeed. I thank you for returning these things to me. I am grateful.”_ _

_ _“I was happy to do it,” she said, her smile back. “ Severus?”_ _

_ _“Yes, Hermione.”_ _

_ _“Could I talk to you about another matter entirely?”_ _

_ _“Of course. What is it?”_ _

_ _“I mentioned that I'd resigned from my job,” she said slowly. “The thing is I didn't have anything else lined up at the time. So I've been considering my options, and I was thinking about things I was interested in when I was younger. I've always been fascinated by potions work and had considered it as a career at one time.”_ _

_ _He thought for a moment before speaking. He had a feeling they were finally getting to the real motive behind the scene that had just played out. “Potions can be a rewarding choice.”_ _

_ _“I think so too. I was wondering... I mean, that is... would you...”_ _

_ _“I'd be happy to write you a letter of recommendation,” he interrupted. _ _

_ _Her smile faded. “Oh. That's very generous I'm sure.” She paused as if gathering her courage, then forged onward. “Actually, Severus, I had something else in mind.”_ _

_ _“I can't imagine what it could be.” He didn't like the direction this was headed. _ _

_ _Hermione looked up at him hopefully. “I'd hoped you might consider being my mentor, taking me on as an apprentice.” _ _

_ _Severus gritted his teeth, his jaw tight. Ah, there it was, proof that there was always a price. No one ever did something good without wanting something in return. “No.”_ _

_ _Her face fell. “Please, I know I've sprung this idea on you. Just take some time to consider it.”_ _

_ _“I said no. I am no longer a teacher.”_ _

_ _“You may not be teaching,” she protested, making little air quotes when she said 'teaching'. “But you are and will always be a Potions Master. You could take on an apprentice if you so chose.”_ _

_ _“Be that as it may,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “I have never considered taking on an apprentice, and I never will.”_ _

_ _“That isn't what I was told.” she retorted tartly._ _

_ _“Oh, for fucks sake!” he shouted. “The answer is still no. And if you think bringing these things to me will be a sufficient bribe or some sort of tender to buy you such a position, I can assure you that you will be sadly disappointed. If that is the price I don't want them!” With that, he shoved the box of his things toward her. “Keep them” he snarled._ _

_ _Hermione recoiled as if he had physically struck her. Her face was a reflection of shock and horror. He heard her sharp intake of breath and a half-sob escaped as her eyes filled with tears and she struggled to speak. “H...how could you say such a thing? I didn't buy your mother's book and jewelry and keep all of these things packed away for years just waiting for the perfect circumstance so I could pull them out and use them as some sort of bribe or blackmail. I always... always intended to return them to you someday. If you weren't such an anti-social misanthrope I would have returned them to you years ago. There was no price for this, Severus. That you would even think such a thing much less say it to my face, that hurts me deeply.” _ _

_ _She was crying openly now, and he was starting to regret his reaction. Why had he acted so hastily? He took a tentative step toward her. “Hermione...”_ _

_ _She scrambled up from the love seat, putting distance between them as she edged toward the door. She gasped, trying to speak, but her sobs made her voice quaver. “They are two... two...” She paused to wipe her face and blow her nose before taking a deep breath and starting again. “They are two separate things. The return of your belongings and the request for an apprenticeship are two totally separate things. I never meant otherwise, and I'm sorry to know that you think I would.” She waved her hand in the direction of the box with his things. “As for that, I never want to see it again. They're yours. If you don't want them, throw them in the trash.”_ _

_ _She ran out of the room and crashed straight into Lucius. Severus could hear his friend trying to calm her. “Oh, my dear, dear girl. What's wrong? Why are you crying?”_ _

_ _Severus took three steps to the left so he could see out into the hallway. Hermione's back was toward him and she was plastered to Lucius. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him as she cried inconsolably into his shirt. He watched as Lucius gently patted her back and stroked her hair, all the while he murmuring soft words of comfort. “Hush, now... Shhh... It will be alright... Don't cry...” _ _

_ _Severus had never wanted to hex his friend as much as he did right at that minute. Then he saw Lucius look over the top of her head, his gaze narrowed as he zeroed in on Severus as if asking “What have you done now, you idiot?”_ _

_ _Turning his attention back to Hermione, Lucius gently pushed her back a bit and cupped her face in his palms, his thumbs wiping the tears from her cheeks. He leaned down to whisper something in her ear, but Hermione just shook her head and cried, “I can't talk about it now.” She jerked away from him and raced up the stairs. Lucius stood watching until she was out of sight, then turned and stalked toward the sitting room._ _

_ _Severus crossed to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a generous amount of Firewhisky._ _

_ _Lucius stopped directly in front of him. But instead of berating him as Severus had expected, his old friend merely shook his head and declared, “Well, old boy, it looks like you've cocked things up again.”_ _

_ _TBC_ _


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a fit of anger and frustration, Hermione resigns from her position as a department head at the Ministry of Magic. The problem is, in a very un-Hermione-like move, she has absolutely no plan for what comes next, except for this niggling idea that she simply must find Severus Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Unending thanks to my fantastic beta, delphipsmith, for all her hard work and for putting up with me, she's a true wonder. Also thanks to iqeret for the great prompts, I hope my offering meets your approval.
> 
> This fic was posted originally at Livejournal on the 2018 sshg_giftfest.

Chapter 4

Lucius picked up a glass and held it out. Severus tipped the whisky decanter and poured him a generous portion. They sipped in silence for a minute, then Lucius wandered over to a chair near the hearth and sat down. “Care to tell me what happened?” he asked.

Severus scowled but followed, slouching into the chair across from him. “The same thing that usually happens. I was a total arse. Proof positive that I'm a suspicious, vindictive, judgmental bastard who overreacts and attributes negative intent where there is none.”

Lucius rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink to fortify himself. “Let's put the pity-party on hold for a bit, shall we? Tell me what happened, Severus. Did Hermione give the things to you as she'd planned?”

“Did you know what it was? A warning would have been appreciated.”

“She said she had some things that belonged to you but she wouldn't say what they were. How bad could it be? What was it?”

Severus waved his hand in the general direction of the settee. “See for yourself, if you want.”

Lucius summoned the box and set it down before him. Opening the top he gave a sharp exclamation, “Ha! I might have known it would be books!” Lucius pulled out the book on top. “A sixth-year potions journal? That's not exactly valuable, what was she thinking?”

Severus explained the significance of the textbook and the books that had been in Dumbledore's office.

When Lucius removed _Hogwarts: A History_ from the box he looked confused. “This can't possibly be yours, it's a much older edition.”

“Read the inscription,” Severus muttered. 

Lucius carefully opened the cover, his eyes sliding across the words. “Oh... Oh my goodness. Severus, how on earth did she ever...”

“She said she found it in a second-hand shop in Liverpool. When she told the proprietor that she knew the woman's son and wanted to buy the book for him, he offered to sell her a pouch of jewelry that he'd acquired in the same box as the book.”

“And was it your mother’s jewelry as well?” At Severus' glum nod, Lucius looked at him in puzzlement. “That was a very generous gesture on her part. I don't understand why you were so angry with her.” 

Severus tipped his head back to rest against the chair and stared at the ceiling. “As I just explained, I'm a judgmental bastard and I always think the worst of others. Because not even five minutes later she was yammering on about careers and potions. I could guess where she was going, so I offered her a letter of recommendation, but she wouldn't take a hint. She asked me to take her on as my apprentice. Of course, I said no, and she kept pushing.” He rubbed the heels of his hands against at his eyes as if trying to erase the memory. “All I could think about was how there's always a price. People never do something for nothing, or because it's the right thing to do. There's always a motive.”

Lucius sighed. “Please tell me you didn't say those things to Hermione.”

Severus turned his head to look at his friend. “Oh, I can tell you that...” Lucius heaved a sigh of relief, until Severus added, “...if you want me to lie to you.”

Lucius groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a moment he rose, took both their glasses across the room and poured two fingers of Firewhisky in each. Returning to his chair he set the drinks down on the side table between them, sliding one towards Severus so it was within easy reach. “Well, _I_ certainly understand why you react the way you do to situations like this.”

“That's good to know, Lucius. I'm so happy someone understands.” 

Lucius grunted. As usual, the sarcasm was strong with this one. “I didn't say I approve, you arse. Merely that I understand, and I think deep down you do too. Dear Merlin, Severus, you spent nearly two decades under the thumb of two of the greatest manipulators of all time. They controlled you with promises, and threats, and torture. They forced you to perpetrate horrible acts, things that you hated yourself for afterward. You were indoctrinated by them to expect the worst of others, to consider first and foremost how someone might be trying to use you. Merlin knows, sometimes they are. But sometimes they aren't, like tonight.”

Severus took a deep breath and blew it out. “I know that,” he said sullenly. He took a slow sip of his whiskey. “I've known that girl since she was twelve years old. She can be a giant pain in the arse, and a know it all, and a do-gooder, and a bloody Gryffindor...” The last was said as if being a Gryffindor was the worst crime of all. “But she is not someone who would manipulate a situation in order to gain something for herself. She would be honest about it.” He chuckled softly and added, “Although she is not above using guile if the situation calls for it. I remember what she did to that bitch Umbridge.” Severus smiled fondly in recollection. 

“If you know that, then next time try to stay calm and assess the situation carefully. And for Circe's sake, try to control your temper before you overreact,” cautioned Lucius. 

“Easy for you to say, my friend.” Severus paused as if something had just occurred to him. “While I do realize that my accusations hurt Hermione's feelings, her reaction seemed...extreme.”

“She did seem very upset.”

“Yes. When she was my student she was not an overly emotional girl, or at least she did not display her hurt feelings openly. Tonight she was carrying on as though she'd lost the thing most dear to her heart.”

Lucius inhaled sharply. “Perhaps she thought she had,” he muttered under his breath.

“Lucius,” Severus drew his name out as though he was suspect. “You know something. What is it?”

Lucius shook his head firmly. “No, I don't _know_ anything. But I might suspect something. However, I am not willing to share my theory with either of you at this time, not until I gather more information.”

“Wait just a minute.” Severus shot to his feet. “What do you mean ‘either of us’? Are you implying that whatever is going on with Granger has some connection to me?”

“Possibly. If my first instinct is correct, then probably. But this is exactly why I don't want to discuss it with either of you. If my thoughts end up being totally off track and either of you acts on unreliable information it could change the outcome of... well, everything.”

“Bloody hell, Lucius. You’re being even more irritating than usual.” Severus rose and paced back and forth in front of the fireplace in agitation. “You're talking in riddles. Just tell me what the fuck is going on.”

“Calm down. I will, I promise, but not just yet. Give me a few weeks. I have feelers out to some experts in the field. I'm hoping to get some information very soon.”

“Experts? What sort of experts?” 

“Those who are well versed in the ways of old magic.” 

“Old magic?” Severus ceased his pacing and stared at Lucius. “Is it an ancient curse? Has Hermione been cursed, or is she under the influence of a geas? Or maybe—”

“Severus, stop,” Lucius said wearily. “This is why you need to drop it. You can't just start spouting random ideas like that. A few weeks, three or four at the most, that's all I'm asking for. If no helpful information is forthcoming by then I will agree to open the topic to discussion, with _both_ of you.”

Severus sat back down, saying nothing for a moment. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, visibly wrestling himself under control. Evidently, he was taking their earlier conversation about controlling his temper to heart. “I don't like this one bit, Lucius, but I will wait as you request. Three weeks, no more. At that time I will expect you to explain what’s going on, to both Hermione and myself.”

“Agreed.” replied Lucius, relieved to have his friend’s cooperation. “And speaking of Hermione...”

“I will offer her my apology tomorrow. I feel I owe her that much,” Severus said with a sour expression. 

“And will you reconsider the apprenticeship?” asked Lucius. At this point, he seriously doubted that Hermione would ever claim the life debt, and without the possibility of the apprenticeship, she would probably leave the Manor, which would not be in the best interest of either her or Severus. 

“I don't know, Lucius. I don't think I have it in me. It would be a huge commitment, two years at least, maybe longer.”

“Oh come now, Severus. Two years, even three, will pass quickly. It isn't as though you have a lot of other things on your agenda. It might do you good, you know, give you something to focus on.” 

Lucius looked up to see his friend eyeing him suspiciously. “What?” he asked innocently.

“You’re working awfully hard to convince me of this. What's in it for you? Have you got an ulterior motive? Perhaps you have designs on the lovely Miss Granger? ”

Lucius waved a hand dismissively. “No, she is not meant for me. But I do enjoy her company. She's intelligent, easy to talk to and I like having the company of a woman here at the Manor. It would make sense for her to live on-site if she were your apprentice, don't you think?”

“She is not going to be my apprentice. As much as she or you might wish it to happen, there is nothing anyone can do to force me to agree.” Severus said firmly.

Lucius sniffed. _That's what you think._

“What?” Severus snapped.

Swallowing hard, Lucius turned his head slightly, looking at Severus cautiously from the corner of his eye. “Uh...did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, and now you'd damn well better explain yourself out loud, too.”

He didn’t want to betray her confidence, but he was increasingly certain that Hermione wouldn't call in the life debt; her feelings for Severus were too strong. Perhaps if Severus understood that Hermione had the power to claim the apprenticeship but willingly chose not to, that would persuade him to trust her. Then again, Hermione might be angry at him for revealing her secret to Severus, as she'd never intended for Severus to know. Lucius battled with his conscience for all of thirty seconds.

“Oh, very well. Hermione _could_ force your hand by calling the in the life debt you owe her from the day of the final battle. But she won't. Although she used the threat of doing so to convince me to bring her here, she also admitted that she had never planned for you to know, much less intended to use it.”

“Life debt? From what?”

“She saved your life, Severus.”

Severus stared at him, puzzled. “No, you're wrong about that. It was Minerva who saved me.”

Lucius shook his head. “She figured that's what you’d think. She described the whole scene, Severus, in graphic detail. It sounded authentic to me, right down to the method she used to stop the spread of Nagini's venom.”

“Which was?”

“After using dittany on your wound, she poured a variety of potions down your throat, then stuffed a bezoar under your tongue.” 

Severus shook his head, clearly in denial.

“Wait. I'm not done. This last part is ingenious. She wasn’t sure if the bezoar would be enough to counteract the venom. She considered some sort of stasis spell but didn't know of one strong enough for an entire human body. So...she petrified you.”

“She what?!” Severus stared, open-mouthed in shock.

“ Yes. It brought all your systems to a near standstill, thus preventing the spread of the venom.”

Severus shook his head in disbelief. “All this time I thought it was Minerva.”

“Whatever you do,” said Lucius, “remember what we discussed earlier. Stay calm, don't make rash judgments or jump to premature conclusions. Take your time to...”

“Lucius, hush,” Severus commanded.

Lucius sputtered, “D... di... did you just _hush_ me?”

“I did. Now hush. I am not jumping to conclusions or getting angry. I need to think.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don't know yet,” said Severus, as he lifted his box and headed for the door. “But I will figure it out by tomorrow morning. Good night, Lucius.”

~*~*~*~*~ 

Severus didn't get much sleep that night, but by morning he knew what he had to do. He just needed to find Hermione to carry out his plan. Unfortunately, Hermione wasn't cooperating, as she didn't bother to come down for breakfast.

When Lucius called the house-elf who was taking care of her and asked why Hermione had not come down for breakfast, Fifi began alternately wringing her hands and pulling on the tips of her ears. She worked mainly upstairs and was clearly nervous being summoned to the family dining room. 

“Miss says she is not feeling well. She is asking Fifi to be bringing her a tray. But Miss only drinks her coffee and hardly eats a crumb of anything. Fifi is trying to get her to eat, and tells her that if she is sick she needs her food for getting stronger.” The little elf looked worried as her fingers inched across the table cloth, reaching for a heavy silver serving spoon. In a voice barely a whisper she said, “ Fifi will be punishing herself now, sirs.”

“Certainly not, Fifi. You did nothing wrong,” Severus reassured the little elf, as he moved the spoon out of her reach. “This particular Miss can be a stubborn one. It is no fault of yours. I will go up to speak with her in a bit, and I will make sure she eats.”

Fifi smiled in relief and popped out of the dining room.

“What are you up to, Severus?” asked Lucius warily.

“Nothing to worry about, I took your advice and I'm reconsidering the idea of taking on an apprentice. But before I agree to anything I have several questions that need answers.”

Lucius smiled smugly as he sipped his tea. “I was hoping you'd come to your senses.”

“Hmph. Time will tell whether this is a sensible choice.” Severus finished his coffee and left the table, his own breakfast barely touched.

~*~*~*~*~

Severus tapped politely on Hermione's door. There was no answer. 

He knocked briskly again, slightly louder. Still no answer. 

He knocked – well, pounded – a third time,

There was a muffled shout from inside. “Go away.”

“I'm not going away, Granger. We have to talk. Open the damn door.”

A minute later the door opened slightly. “What?” she snapped. 

He took in her messy appearance and suppressed a smile. She was still in her nightgown, with a robe thrown over it. But the alignment of the buttons was off by two, her hair was disheveled, her feet were bare: she looked like a sleepy, rumpled kitten who'd just awakened from a nap. 

“We need to talk. May I come in?” Hermione hesitated but finally opened the door all the way and gestured for him to enter. He glanced around, seeing that the room was a sitting room rather than her bedroom, as he'd first thought. Perhaps she really hadn't heard him knock the first two times. 

She opened her mouth to speak but he held up his hand. “Before you say anything I must apologize for my behavior toward you last night.” 

Her mouth snapped shut in shock.

“I jumped to conclusions regarding your intentions and said things I shouldn't have. I'm very sorry if what I said hurt your feelings. I've recently been told that I need to think things through before flying off the handle. Apparently I have... _issues_.”

“Don't we all?” she replied solemnly. “While we're at it, I feel that I must also apologize, Severus. It's true, I _was_ hurt by the things you said, but I feel my reaction was a little extreme. I have no explanation for that except that my emotions of late have been running a little out of control, especially where you are concerned. I'm sorry too.”

He blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. “Yes, well, thank you. As I said, we must talk.”

Hermione looked down at her misbuttoned robe, her hand flying up simultaneously to her messy hair. “I need to change first. If you'll excuse me.” Not waiting for a response, she hurried into the adjoining room and closed the door.

By the time she returned, Severus was pouring tea. “What's all this?” she asked.

“I asked for tea,” he explained. “Fifi was concerned that you hadn't eaten this morning so she brought a few things to tempt you.” He gestured to the platters laden with finger foods, both sweet and savory. “How do you take your tea?”

Once they were all settled with their tea and plates of nibbles, Hermione looked at him nervously. “So, what is it we need to talk about?”

“I am wondering if, after the volatile events of last evening, you would still be interested in pursuing a potions apprenticeship?”

Her eyes grew wide. “Oh yes. Yes definitely,” she replied, practically bouncing in her seat.

Severus raised his forefinger. “Wait. I am not in complete agreement yet, but I am considering. I will need to ask you some questions first.” At her enthusiastic nod, he continued. “Had you really considered Potions as a career when you were a student, as you claimed last night? Or is it just that since leaving the Ministry you’ve been at loose ends, and are just grasping this idea on a whim?”

“It's not a whim,” she exclaimed. “Not at all. I've always wanted to study potions further, but everyone knew that you never took on apprentices, and honestly, you were the only Potions Master I ever wanted to study under. And after the war ended everything happened so fast. The dust had hardly settled when Kingsley offered all three of us jobs at the Ministry. At the time I had few options since I hadn't finished my seventh year or taken my NEWTS. I'd sent my parents to Australia so I had nowhere to live and no other source of income. Harry would have helped, of course, but I really didn't want to be that person who sponges off her friends.”

“You did have other options, at the time,” Severus said quietly.

Hermione shrugged. “Yes, apparently. Or at least that's what Minerva told me recently, but of course, I had no idea at the time.”

Severus nodded in understanding. He paused to think for a moment, his finger tapping softly on the table. “I'm curious. What is it about potions that calls to you?”

She laughed. “That's a hard question.”

He frowned slightly. “How so?”

“Well, choosing just one thing, of course. There are so many.”

One corner of his mouth twitched up. “Please, elaborate.”

She thought for a moment. “Consider magic in general. I didn't even know magic existed in reality, much less in me, until I was almost twelve. I was in awe. But after six years at Hogwarts, and learning how to use magic, how to control it—well, it's all pretty easy after that, isn't it? I mean, it's really not much of a challenge anymore.”

Severus snickered. “So you to say. But I dare say the majority of the wizarding population wouldn't agree.”

Little frown lines appeared on Hermione's forehead. “Do you really think so?”

His expression said that he did, but he didn’t answer, only waving his hand for her to continue.

“Potions is different. There are so many variables and any of them can alter the outcome.”

“Explain that, the variables.”

“Well, the possible ingredients are innumerable, and the way you prep them, even the order in which they’re added, all matter. And the equipment: the size and substance of the cauldron used, the type of stirring rod, etc. Then there are the techniques: how slow or fast you stir, for how long, how high the heat, how long you simmer, how quickly the potion cools, how you bottle and store it. Every single step of the way can make a difference. As I said, the variables are endless.”

Severus listened in surprise, recognising his own feelings in Hermione’s words. But he had no chance to speak – 

Hermione was on a roll. 

“For example, let’s take ingredients. Suppose you were to put just ten ingredients on this table. Depending on all the other variables I just mentioned, using various combinations of only those ten ingredients, I could create hundreds of different potions, maybe more.” She sat back, her eyes shining. “That's why potions is so fascinating: the possibilities are endless.”

Severus chuckled slightly. “I appreciate your enthusiasm. But if I decide not to take you on as an apprentice, what will you do then?”

Hermione's expression went from elated to somber in the blink of an eye. A soft breath escaped as her hand rose to softly rub the center of her chest as if to soothe a deep ache. “I'm not sure. I guess the first thing would be that I'd have to leave here, go home. There wouldn't be any point in staying if I couldn't convince you to change your mind.”

The idea of her leaving the Manor stung him for some reason. “But what about all those Howlers, the press, the meddling friends? They would all still be there, correct?”

“Well, yes,” she said hesitantly. “But to be honest, I may have exaggerated all of that to some extent. It would still be there, of course, but I could find ways to deal with it. I might go stay with a friend for a while.” She frowned. “Maybe Harry and Luna? Although Harry is on top of the list of meddling friends. Perhaps Ron. No, I forgot his rental got sold and he’s moved back to the Burrow. Ugh. Molly would smother me and try to get the two of us back together.”

The very idea of Molly Weasley's matchmaking brought a scowl to Severus' face, but thankfully Hermione didn't notice.

“Neville?” she mused. “No, he's at Hogwarts until the end of term.” She gave a short, harsh laugh. “Dear gods, I sound pathetic, don't I? Maybe I'll take a page from your book, Severus, and just go travel the world for a year, or five, or ten. That's actually a good idea. I could start in Romania. I haven't seen Viktor in ages and I'm sure he'd let me stay with him...”

“You most certainly will not be traveling to Romania anytime soon,” Severus interrupted her. For some reason the very thought of her with Krum made him want to hex something—or someone. “You'll be far too busy with your apprenticeship.”

Hermione jumped to her feet, clapping her hands in elation. “Are you serious?” she cried.

“Wait.” He held up his hand. “Before you get too excited, I have two conditions that are absolute.”

“It doesn’t matter, tell me. What are they?”

“First, this is a long term commitment. Normally two to three years are required. But, as you have already pointed out, you missed your entire seventh year which would have included Advanced Potions. Added to that is the fact that your sixth year was with Horace – no offense to him, but his teaching skills are somewhat lackadaisical. His classes are adequate, but he avoids the more complex lessons in favor of the mundane.” Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Severus shook his head and continued. “In addition, it has been nearly ten years since you studied potions formally. All of these factors might mean that your commitment, and mine, would need to be longer than the norm, possibly as many as three or four years. Are you willing to commit to that long of an undertaking?”

“Yes! Yes, I am! I promise, I am totally committed,” she exclaimed, jumping up as though unable to contain her excitement.

Severus had to clench his jaw to prevent himself from breaking into a smile at her enthusiasm. “Very well. Finally, you would be required to live on-site. It wouldn't be practical for you to be traveling back and forth. Some potions will need to be tended for an extended time, or at odd hours, even in the middle of the night.”

Hermione's face fell. 

“Is that going to be a problem?”

“When you say I'd have to live on-site, are you referring to here? At the Manor?” At Severus' nod of acknowledgment, she grimaced. “I don't know how Lucius would feel about that. I don't think he'd like it.” 

Severus snorted. “Are you joking? Lucius loves having you here. He's been overjoyed to have someone else around to talk to besides me. And he told me himself, that he likes having a woman in the house again. He would jump at the chance to have you stay.”

“Really?” She looked doubtful.

“Yes, I'm quite sure. But we can ask him. If he disagrees—which he won't—we will find somewhere else.”

“No, if you think he'll agree, it could actually work out well,” she said thoughtfully. “Remember I mentioned that Ron needs a place to live? He could rent my house. It would give me peace of mind knowing that it wasn't sitting empty, plus the monthly rent would bring in funds for me. I'd be able to pay Lucius rent without having to deplete my savings. It would be perfect.”

At that, he barked a sharp laugh. “My dear girl, Lucius adores you. He’d no more take money from you for rent than he would from me.” Severus' expression sobered as he added, “Although he would never admit as much, he’s often lonely. Aside from me and Draco he doesn't have much contact with anyone else, but I've noticed that, in just the few days you've been around, his mood has lightened considerably. You're good for him. For both of us, I think.” 

He stood up “So if this is all agreeable to you, we will have a contract drawn up?”

“Yes! Oh, Severus, this makes me so happy. I can't thank you enough for being willing to reconsider your initial decision.” 

Her smile was so wide, he wondered whether her cheeks would be sore tomorrow. He stepped forward and held out his hand. “Well then, congratulations, apprentice.”

Hermione shook his hand enthusiastically, and to his surprise when he moved to release her she threw herself against him, hugging him tightly. Severus was at rather a loss. He wasn't a hugger by nature, but surely it would be rude to push her away? Slowly he lowered his hands to pat her lightly on the back, then his arms, of their own volition, tightened as he gently returned her hug. A warmth, like a small flame, began to glow beneath his breast bone, exactly where Hermione's head rested. It spread slowly throughout his chest, then outward until he felt warm to the tips of his fingers. Heartburn, he thought, probably from those damn sausages Fifi had served.

He heard a small muffled sound from Hermione as she leaned into him. 

“Are you crying?” he asked in concern.

“It's b...be...because I'm so happy,” she sobbed. “They're happy tears. Really, I'm very, very happy.”

Severus shook his head and held her a little closer. Women—he'd never understand them.

TBC


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a fit of anger and frustration, Hermione resigns from her position as a department head at the Ministry of Magic. The problem is, in a very un-Hermione-like move, she has absolutely no plan for what comes next, except for this niggling idea that she simply _must_ find Severus Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Unending thanks to my fantastic beta, delphipsmith, for all her hard work and for putting up with me, she's a true wonder. Also thanks to iqeret for the great prompts, I hope my offering meets your approval.
> 
> This fic was posted originally at Livejournal on the 2018 sshg_giftfest.

Chapter 5

Hermione finished re-shelving the ingredients on the last two shelves of the potions stores and was done for the day. She dusted off her hands and looked with pride at the newly scrubbed and organized shelves. It felt like what it was: a new beginning for her. It had been nearly three weeks since Severus had agreed to take her on as an apprentice, and they were finally finishing all the prep work to actually get started.

Hearing a female voice in the lab, Hermione peeked around the corner of the door to see who'd arrived and was nearly knocked off her feet by what she saw. Pansy Parkinson entered and pulled Severus down for a quick kiss on the cheek before hooking his arm possessively in hers and walking back toward his desk. 

What in Hades? What was Parkinson doing, man-handling her professor? A bubble of outrage beginning to build up inside of her, Hermione grabbed the pages of inventory and marched out of the storeroom. Severus had already seated Pansy in a chair before his desk, so Hermione strolled around to the other side where he sat. 

“Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt you, Severus, I didn't realize we had company. I've finished the inventory. Here's the list of ingredients that we'll need to replace.” She put the list on his desk and slid it in front of him as she turned to their _guest_.

“Hello Pansy, what brings you here?” she asked sweetly, ready to hex the witch's eyes out if she said the wrong thing. 

“Actually, I came to see you, Granger.” Pansy jumped up from her seat and rushed to throw her arms around Hermione in a huge hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much! I can't begin to tell you how much you've helped us out.”

Hermione knew her eyes must be bugging out as she turned her head toward Severus and mouthed, 'What's she talking about?'

He merely shrugged and shook his head, but looked annoyingly amused at her dilemma.

Hermione finally disentangled herself from Pansy. “I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Pansy. I really have no clue what you're talking about.”

“Oh, sorry. I'm talking about you renting your cottage to Ron. Getting him out of the Burrow has saved my sanity and his life because if I'd had to sneak around one more day I would have killed him.” 

“Wait. You mean...you and Ron?” Pansy nodded. “That rat, why didn't he say anything to me?

“We're keeping it all on the down-low for right now. His mum is not exactly keen on the idea, but Ron thinks she'll come around eventually,” Pansy concluded in a voice that said she wasn't so sure of that. “Anyhow, I just wanted to tell you thanks and if there's ever anything we can do – I mean if you need a favor or whatever, anything at all – you just call us. Okay?”

Well, that was the last thing she would have expected. “You're welcome. I know what a curmudgeon Molly can be.”

Pansy shrugged. “She loves her kids so I guess she means well, but it can be pretty hard to deal with sometimes.”

“Sometimes,” Hermione agreed. As Pansy stood to leave, Hermione added, “So...you and Ron, it's pretty serious then? The real thing?”

Pansy nodded enthusiastically and her face lit with a smile that made Hermione believe it was love. 

“Hey, Pans?”

“Yeah?” She turned to look back.

“You like kids?”

Pansy looked puzzled at the question. “Yeah, I do.”

“Next time you're around Molly, mention how much you love kids and want a couple of your own someday. If she thinks you're the future mother to the next Weasley generation, believe me, she'll come around.”

Pansy grinned. “Thanks, Granger. See there, now I owe you again.” She laughed as she left the room.

Hermione felt Severus' hand pat hers. “That was very generous of you.” His fingers wrapped around hers in a supportive squeeze, causing her heart to flutter before he pulled away. Aside from returning the hug she'd given him when he'd offered her the apprenticeship, he'd barely touched her in three weeks. She'd missed the feel of his skin against hers. “Difficult too, I'd imagine.” 

Frowning down at him, she turned to perch her bum on the edge of his desk. “What _are_ you talking about?”

“Well, I know that you're still very fond of Mr. Weasley.”

Hermione didn't understand where this was coming from. “Yesss,” she drawled. “I am fond of Ron because he's my friend. And because he is my friend, I want him to be happy. If Pansy makes him happy, that makes me happy. See, we're all happy.”

“I can't help but wonder if Weasley doesn't still have deeper feelings for you. If he is using Pansy...”

“Severus, that's ridiculous,” she interrupted. “Ron is a good friend. That's all.”

“Hmff,” he huffed. “If you say so.”

“I do say...Wait,” Hermione gasped. “Are...are you _jealous_ of Ron Weasley?”

“Now who's being ridiculous?” he scoffed.

“You are! You're jealous.” She looked at him in disbelief and something that felt like joy. “Severus, it's alright if you are, because...I'll be honest...when I saw Pansy come in and kiss your cheek then wrap her arm around yours like you belonged to her—I wanted to hex her eyes out.” 

Hermione reached over to trace a finger across the top of Severus' hand. 

He jerked away as though he'd been touched by fiendfyre. 

“Stop this instant! This is highly inappropriate behavior.”

“Why? We're of age. It's not as though we’re still teacher and student at Hogwarts.”

“As an apprentice, you are still my student.” He slid his chair to the side, putting some distance between them.

“Yes, but this is a different situation than the norm. And we both know it's not unheard of for a Master and apprentice to have a personal relationship as well.”

“That is not going to happen here, I can assure you.” His tone was like ice trickling over her. Then it softened, taking on a more cajoling note. “My dear, someday you'll meet some nice young man and...”

“I don't want a Nice. Young. Man,” she snarled. “And do you know why? I'll tell you why: because most young men are boring and immature, they expect you to pick up after them, they can't hold a decent conversation to save their own lives, they're self-centered, they haven't the slightest idea how to please a woman, and they probably couldn't find her G-spot if she drew them a map and handed them a torch.” As she wound down she flushed with embarrassment but decided in for a penny and all that. In a much quieter voice, she continued. “I much prefer older men: they're more mature, infinitely more interesting, kinder, more confident, and—if she's lucky enough—they'll definitely know how to pleasure a woman.”

His response came low and gruff. “Well, I wasn't aware, but with a checklist like that, obviously you’re on the prowl—looking to get laid are you? Here's an idea: I suggest you speak with Lucius, as I'm quite certain he meets all of your requirements, and I have a feeling he's halfway in love with you already.”

Hermione took a step back. His words hit her like a slap across the face. Well, she'd asked for it hadn't she? She shouldn't have pushed things so quickly, but these feelings for him overtook her at the most inopportune times. She'd been wrestling with them for weeks—hell, months really. It was much too soon to have revealed any of it to him, but Pansy had come in and been hanging all over him and she'd been feeling a bit territorial. Now she'd ruined everything.

She pressed her lips together; she wouldn't cry, she just wouldn't. She had to get out of here with at least some of her dignity intact. She kept her eyes closed and took several deep breaths, in and out. Be calm, be calm, be calm, she repeated the mantra in her head over and over until she felt that she'd be able to control her voice.

Clasping her hands tightly behind her back, she stared down at his desk as she couldn't bring herself to look at him. “As you wish.” She turned to go, then stopped and added, “I would still like to continue with the apprenticeship.” Her voice wavered but she soldiered on. “If you're willing, that is. I promise I'll never bother you like this again.”

“Hermione.”

She kept walking.

“Where do you think you're going?” 

She stopped at the doorway. “I'm taking your advice, Severus. I'm going to find Lucius. If I'm really lucky, maybe I can get laid.” With that, she walked out the door. 

~*~*~*~*~

“Hermione! Come back here right now!” Severus said as his apprentice disappeared out the door. Damn it all, why had he said those things to her? “We're not done here,” he shouted. No response was forthcoming. “Gods be damned! That woman will drive me mad if she doesn't kill me first!”

Luckily for him, the west wing was long and the potions lab was at the farthest end. Also luckily for him, because the house was so damn huge Lucius allowed Apparition within it. Though he seldom used it, he was willing to make an exception to catch a certain insanely irritating little witch before she did something stupid. He popped in around the corner at the far end of the hall, just in time to catch her as she barreled around it. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her into a handy alcove, pinning her up against the wall. She fought like a wild thing. “Hermione, calm down. I just want to talk to you. Please, what I said was out of line.”

“Let me go, damn you!” She struggled against him, but to no avail.

He held her firmly but carefully, so as not to hurt her. His hands encircled her wrists, holding them to the wall just above her shoulders – he couldn't risk her getting hold of her wand just now, she'd likely eviscerate him. Severus pressed against her to keep her still. He could feel her every breath, they came fast and shallow like a frightened fawn. Her breasts pressed against him each time she inhaled, so to protect his own sanity he pulled back to put a bit of space between them. She took this as her chance to escape and renewed her struggles. 

“Hermione, stop. Calm down. We need to talk – damn it, will you just look at me?” She shook her head jerkily and quickly averted her eyes from his. No doubt she thought he intended to use Legilimency, and why wouldn't she? He'd tried it a few weeks ago, after all. Now she didn't trust him, and he could hardly blame her. “I'll never try to use Legilimency on you again, I promise. Never. Please, talk to me.”

Hermione briefly glanced at him, but quickly lowered her eyes. “What's there left to talk about? I've already made a complete and utter fool of myself and embarrassed you no end. I take back what I said earlier about the apprenticeship, I want out. Let me go and I'll walk away, you can tear up the bloody contract and forget I ever came here to find you.” A half sob escaped her throat and as she squeezed her eyes closed a tear tracked down each cheek.

He dropped her wrists and slid his hands up to cup her face, gently swiping at her tears with his thumbs. Something came over him in that instant. He stared at the wetness on his thumbs, rubbing them against his fingertips, wondering why he was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions. He felt a deep longing for Hermione and at the same time a sense of contentment, or completion. She looked up at him but he wasn't looking into her eyes, he was staring at her mouth. Tilting her face upward he lowered his mouth and lightly brushed his lips over hers—once, then twice—as though testing. Then, more sure of himself, his mouth covered hers for a long, slow, deep kiss which Hermione responded to in kind.

Her hands came down, not to push him away this time, but to wrap around him and pull him even closer. He knew she felt his erection because one of her hands moved from clutching his arse to slide around front and tentatively caress his cock, pulling a groan from him. He broke contact with her lips and his mouth wandered down to drop light kisses along her jaw and down her neck. 

“Severus,” she gasped. “Severus, what is this? Are we both insane? What's happening to us?”

He paused and leaned back to look down at her. “I don't know.” He suddenly recalled the last thing she'd said to him prior to this and hauled her up against him again. “I don't know what's happening to us right now, but I do know that you are damn well _not_ walking away from me, Hermione Granger. And I will not be tearing up our bloody contract – in fact, I'm holding you to it for the full length and beyond.”

“Okay,” she said agreeably, with a goofy grin on her face. She lunged forward to kiss him again as her fingers returned to his buttons, struggling to get them undone. 

“Hermione, stop,” he muttered. 

“Don't wanna,” she slurred, groping at the buttons on his cuffs.

“Not here,” he growled. “Come, my room is just down the hallway.” Grabbing her hand he pulled her out of the alcove and along the corridor.

Her eyes lit up. “Yes, a room. A room is good. Hurry, Severus.”

He tugged her down the hall, flung open his door, and dragged her inside, slamming the door shut behind them and locking it. He'd just pulled Hermione back into his arms to take up where they'd left off when a sound caught his attention. Pushing her behind him, he quickly realized it was only a house-elf delivering fresh towels and linen. “Get out!” he ordered. Hermione gasped and stiffened behind him. He whirled, “Not you! You!” He pointed at the elf and with a slight squeak, it disappeared. 

Her arms snaked around him to worry at his belt buckle. He pulled her from behind him and nudged her in the direction of the bedroom. As soon as they were through the doorway he shut the door and leaned back against it, watching her. 

Halfway to the bed she turned and gave him a questioning glance. 

“Strip,” he ordered bluntly.

“What?” Her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“You heard me, strip. Now. All of it. I’ve been fantasizing about just this scene exactly for weeks. It's been driving me mad being with you but keeping my hands off. Now I'm going to watch, so strip.”

Hermione blushed, but her excitement showed in her face. “What about you?” she asked. “Maybe I've thought of stripping you naked as well.” 

“Oh, we'll get to that, but right now I want to see you.” The truth was if he got naked now, he feared it would all be over much too soon. 

Hermione hesitated then, she looked nervous. “Earlier, you wanted to talk. Maybe we should. Severus, something is going on here. This is something more than a natural attraction...”

“Hush, woman. Right now I don't care what's going on. I want you—you want me, that's all that matters. We'll figure it out later after we've finished. Maybe. Once won't be enough though, I think we'll talk _much_ later, after the second or third or sixth time, or maybe tomorrow. Hurry up, get those clothes off now.”

Hermione grinned. “As you wish, love.” She took her time removing everything, one piece at a time until she stood before him in only a pale pink bra and matching lacy boy shorts. He twirled his finger indicating she should turn all the way around. She complied and he nodded his approval.

“Very nice. Take the rest off.”

She removed her bra first then the bottoms, then stood straight and proud before him in all her naked glory. “This hardly seems fair, Severus. I'm standing here starkers and you're still completely dressed. Maybe I'd like to look too.”

“Get on the bed. I'll let you watch from there.” He had to hold back a laugh as she practically ran and jumped onto the bed. He unbuttoned his shirt, using a wandless spell to release all of the buttons at once, in one quick action. 

“Oooh,” Hermione sighed. “I am so going to learn that spell.”

He slipped the shirt off and set it aside, then pulled his vest over his head. He toed off his shoes and slowly removed his belt then, sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled off his socks, leaving his trousers on. It was safer for now. Hermione looked disappointed and he chuckled. “Don't look at me like that, sweet, I'll take them off eventually, but I need to maintain some modicum of control for now. First I intend to explore all of you.”

“Mmmm...that sounds...interesting,” she moaned, reaching for him. 

Severus captured her hands and lifted her arms upwards toward the headboard, wrapping her fingers around the thick wooden slats. “Keep them there. I can't explore properly if you're distracting me.”

She groaned in frustration but did as he asked, fighting her temptation to reach for him by holding tight.

Satisfied, he leaned down to kiss her as he skimmed one hand down her arm all the way to her hip and slowly back up to fill his palm with her breast. His lips moved from hers to tease her earlobe, sucking lightly then, teeth barely scraping her skin, he worked his way down her neck, all the while whispering words to incite her. “I want to touch you everywhere. And breathe you in.” He paused to inhale the scent of her hair, her skin, her own sweet essence. His mouth moved to nibble across her collar bone and lower. “I want, no, I _need_ to taste you—everywhere.” He licked his way to her breast, lapping all around it, then blew gently and watched her already tight little nipple bead up even more.

Hermione whined and arched her back as if attempting to shove her whole tit into his mouth. He teased her for a bit before relenting and closing his lips over the taut bud. He suckled gently at first, then took it hard and deep into his mouth, rubbing his tongue over it and scraping his teeth against it. 

“Severus!” she gasped. Dropping her hands to his head and tangling them in his hair, she pulled him against her. 

With a chuckle, he leaned back. “Hands back where they were, love, or I'll put them there myself,” he threatened. “If I must do that, I'll have to start all over from the beginning.”

Hermione complied with a groan. “You're an evil git. You'd better remember that payback is a bitch.”

“I look forward to it.” He proceeded to torment her other breast with his mouth as his fingers continued playing with the first. When he had her moaning and arching up into him he finally moved on. He worked his way down her body, dropping kisses across her ribs, then her belly button, as his fingers continued the long slow glide down to slip between her folds. Dear goddess, she was hot and wet, her juices so slick it felt like he was sliding his fingertips over liquid silk. He circled her clit first in one direction and then back again over and over, but never quite where she needed it to push her over.

Hermione moaned and bucked her hips, trying to get his fingers to hit that one magic spot that would send her flying. “Please, Severus, please,” she begged. “I need you so much, just fuck me. Fuck me now.”

“Soon, very soon,” he murmured and slid his fingers down to press one inside of her. So hot and snug, he slid another in and pumped slowly in and out several times before pulling them out to raise to his mouth. He licked and sucked them clean. “I need more.” Pushing up from the bed he lowered his zipper and slid his trousers and boxers off in one fell swoop.

“Yesss, finally! Oh, yes, please. Now, Severus,” she demanded, reaching for him.

“Not yet,” he declared, climbing onto the bed as he spread her legs wide and settled between them. “I need more, a real taste this time.” He used his fingers to spread her lips apart and lowered his mouth to her pussy.

“No, damn it. I want you now,” she complained, reaching down to tug at his shoulders. 

He batted her hands away as he began to devour her.

“No, Severus, stop. No, I want...just...just want...just...OH...oh, oh, oh, Yesss!” He continued licking and sucking her clit as he slid two fingers into her and began to thrust shallowly, in and out. “Oh, my gods! Yess...yes, there. Right there...yes. Fuck, don't stop. Don't you dare stop...Ohhh! Oh, oh, oh, Severus. I...I...Oh, sweet fuck!” She screamed as she convulsed, her pussy milking his fingers as he sucked at her clit.

As she calmed he moved up her body until his cock sat nestled at her entrance, and then with one long slow thrust he was impaled to the hilt. He could still feel the aftershocks of her pussy tightening around him – it felt so fucking good to finally be inside her. He bent his head to kiss her, his tongue sliding inside her mouth to mate with hers. He kissed her lips and licked his way from her ear down her neck. He concluded the journey by sucking at the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. 

“Oh, Severus.” Hermione shuddered as he slid slowly in and out, pausing to grind lightly against her clit from time to time. “That was...that was... well I can't even find the words to describe it.”

The corners of his mouth twitched up. “Alert the world, Hermione Granger is speechless.”

She giggled and kissed him again. “I'm serious that was amazing.” She looked up at him shyly. “I want to make it that good for you too, but I don't think I can—you know—again so soon.”

“Oh, I do know and I think you can. You see, I found your G-spot and I didn't need a map or a torch, and I'm very certain that I can find it again.”

He proceeded to show her that he could indeed do just that.

TBC


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a fit of anger and frustration, Hermione resigns from her position as a department head at the Ministry of Magic. The problem is, in a very un-Hermione-like move, she has absolutely no plan for what comes next, except for this niggling idea that she simply must find Severus Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Unending thanks to my fantastic beta, delphipsmith, for all her hard work and for putting up with me, she's a true wonder. Also thanks to iqeret for the great prompts, I hope my offering meets your approval.
> 
> This fic was posted originally at Livejournal on the 2018 sshg_giftfest.

Chapter 6

Hermione awoke slowly, smiling to herself as she recalled the glorious dream she'd had. She'd said things to Severus she shouldn't have, he'd reacted in his typical 'strike first without thinking' manner, then they'd made up with several rounds of delicious, mind-blowing sex. The dream was so realistic she even felt sore in places she hadn't felt in some time. She was lying there savoring the memory when she heard the soft noise behind her. “Zzzzzzzz...”

Her eyes snapped open and she rolled over with a jerk to see Severus lying next to her. His forearm was draped across his face, covering his eyes, and a soft—barely there—snore escaped his mouth on each inhale. Hermione lifted the covers for a quick peek which verified that, yes indeed, they were both naked, meaning that her dream had been the real deal. “Holy fuck!”

Severus smacked his lips twice and muttered, “What? Again? You are insatiable, woman.” He rolled to his side and slung his arm around her, dragging her close to him. “You wore me out, so you'll have to do the work. I'm game if you are though, climb on up.” Rolling back, he settled her on top of him and gave her arse a squeeze.

“Severus. Wake up.” 

“I am up. Can't you tell?” he asked, shifting his hips to grind his already hardening cock against her.

“Yes, I can. It's rather hard not to notice.”

He snickered at the word 'hard'. 

“He's very impressive,” she said with a giggle, dropping down to nuzzle his neck. After a moment she took a deep breath. “You really must wake up. We need to talk about what's happening here.”

He opened his eyes and raised his hands to push her hair back from her face. “Why are you so determined to question all this? Why can't we just enjoy it?”

“Because...I'm frightened.”

He breathed a deep sigh and rolled her to the side so they were facing each other, their legs still tangled. “What are you frightened of, Hermione? Is it me?”

“Good Godric, no! I'm scared to death because I desperately want this to be real.” She reached out to trace a finger over his lips. “I'm worried we're being influenced by some outside force, some strange magic.”

Severus propped himself up on an elbow and studied her closely. “Alright, explain why you believe that.”

“For months before I came here, I'd been having feelings I didn't understand, urges to do things I didn't understand. Now, I think maybe something similar is happening to you.” 

He shrugged. “Let's see, I've certainly ratcheted my normal grumpy git persona to a much higher level, to be sure. Lucius claims I've been moping for months, and a particularly beautiful and intelligent witch recently referred to me as an anti-social misanthrope.”

“Severus, don't joke, this is serious. One of the strongest urges I had was to find you. I had no idea where you were, but I needed to search for you. I quit my job, which I hated anyway—but that's beside the point—with no plan in place other than to find you. _I had to._ I wouldn't be here if it weren't for that particular compulsion.”

At the word compulsion, Severus seemed to start taking her more seriously. He sat up, pushing the pillows behind him to lean back on the headboard. “Come here,” he said, his voice gruff but soft. He pulled her up to sit across his lap, gathering the covers up around them. Having him hold her helped calm her. She laid her head on his chest and snuggled against him.

“That's why I'm so scared. It's you I'm worried about, Severus. For me, this—being here with you, having this apprenticeship, being able to spend time with you, most of all being together like this—it's all like a dream come true. But you spent years being forced by others to do things you didn't want to, and I can't bear it if that's what's happening here. I'd sooner walk away than do that to you, even though when I even think of leaving you it feels like a dagger to my heart.”

His arms tightened around her. “You are not going anywhere, Hermione. We'll figure this out. There has to be an explanation.”

Just then there was a pounding on the outer door to Severus' suite.

“Severus, are you in there?” shouted Lucius, rattling the knob of the door leading into the sitting room. “Why is this blasted door locked?”

“Go away, Lucius. It's locked for a reason, you bloody nuisance!”

“Oh, don't bother getting up. I've got it now,” They heard the outer door open and footsteps in the sitting room..

“The man has no respect for privacy,” muttered Severus, quickly pulling the blankets closer around Hermione.

“Severus, I have news,” Lucius' voice came closer. “That information I was seeking has finally come through and I need to speak to you and Hermione immediately, but I can't find her anywhere. I think she's missing.”

Hermione giggled softly and buried her head against Severus.

“Damn it all, Severus, did you hear me? Hermione is...” Lucius pushed the bedroom door wide open and stopped dead. “Oh...or...maybe she's not. Hello, my dear, so lovely to see you.” With a knowing smirk, he sat down in a chair next to the door, propping his ankle on the opposite knee and making himself quite at home.

She looked shyly around Severus' chin. “Hello, Lucius. It's lovely to see you too.”

“For Salazar's sake,” grumbled Severus. “Get out so we can get dressed.”

“Oh, go right ahead, I'll stay out of your way.” 

“Lucius. Out!” Severus snapped, reaching for his wand.

“Oh, very well. Spoilsport. There's no time for breakfast, but I'll send Fifi up with tea and croissants. Meet me in the library in twenty minutes.” He stood to go, then turned to add with a knowing gleam in his eye, “No dilly-dallying now, you two.”

Severus threw a stinging hex, but Lucius was too quick – the door closed between them and the hex bounced harmlessly off.

~*~*~*~*~

Half an hour later Hermione and Severus entered the library to find Lucius entertaining a wizened old couple. Everyone stood.

“Hermione, Severus,” Lucius said, “this is Professor Anton Schlossman and his wife, Professor Sophie Schlossman from the Vienna Institute of Magic.”

“It’s..nice to meet you,” Severus said, looking questioningly at Lucius.

“I've explained your situation to the professors and given them as many details as I could, and they concur with my original theories on the subject,” explained Lucius with a touch of smugness in his voice. 

“Since you were not forthcoming with said theories,” complained Severus, “Hermione and I are still very much in the dark.”

Hermione reached for his hand and whispered, “Don't be rude, Severus.” He scowled at Lucius but had no further comment. She leaned forward to address Frau Schlossman. “Perhaps you could explain it to us, Professor?”

Frau Schlossman smiled warmly and leaning forward, she spoke slowly and very carefully. “Bitte, call us Zophie und Anton, boot I vill be lettink Anton talk, his Engleesh is much gooter dan mine.”

Hermione nodded and turned to Anton. “Would you be kind enough to tell us, sir?”

“Yah. Ve have studied all the background and have concluded that Lucius vas correct: the two of you are soul mates.”

Hermione collapsed back in her chair, rolling her eyes. “Oh, for the love of...You have got to be kidding me. Seriously?”

Lucius eyed her reprovingly, “Hermione! The Schlossmans are recognized experts in their field.”

Severus patted her hand and said, “Now who's being rude, love?”

Hermione blushed, looking chastened. “I'm so sorry. It just seems so—I don't know—far-fetched.”

“Ahhh. Ve have a doubter among us,” chuckled Anton. Eyeing Severus, he added, “Hmph...Maybe two. Is okay, Hermione, is good to question things. I vill try to show you the—how do you say—ah, proof in the pudding, yah? That soul mates are real. Tell to me please, the events that happened to you that led to all this.”

Hermione related the events in Harry's office: the bloody handkerchief, the lab report, her assumption that Severus was dead, and how she'd reacted; then, when finding out he was alive, the overwhelming need to find him without knowing why.

“Yah, it all makes sense. Ven you are thinking that he is gone, your heart,” he tapped his chest, “inside it is crushed—broken. Even now, just thinking about it, I can tell it brings you sadness. It hurts, yah?” Hermione nodded and dabbed at the corner of her eye. “But ven you learn he is alive you have this _need_ to find him. That is because he is your soul mate, your magic is searching for him.”

Hermione made a face. “I'm sorry, Anton. I'm just not buying it. We've known each other for a long time – if we were soul mates, wouldn't we have realized that long before now?”

Anton snorted. “Really, you think it is as easy as that? Some soul mates never find their match. Think, Hermione, ven did you first meet Severus? How old vere you?”

“Twelve. It was my first year at Hogwarts, he was my potions teacher.”

“And you think ven you vas twelve that you should take vun look at your teacher who vas, vhat, thirty?” He looked over at Severus for confirmation, which he received. “Do you think your magic should reveal him to you then, as your soul mate? No. Hermione, your magic is not stupid. It vaits until the time is right.” 

Anton turned his attention to Severus. “Now you. Tell to me vat you have been doing all this time? Lucius vas telling that you left and traveled for a long time.”

Severus leaned forward. “Yes, but there is really not much to tell. After the war, I went back to teaching for a couple of years but I felt a certain detachment from everyone. I decided to travel, to see new things.”

“Hmff...this is your short version, yah? Tell me, Severus. Do you make a lot of friends during this time you are traveling? You try to put down roots anyvere, as they say?”

Severus shook his head. “No roots. Not that many friends, either. Oh, a few, perhaps three maybe over the five years I was gone. I guess I still felt a certain distance from it all, no connections to anything. Even when I decided to come home and Lucius let me stay here, I became more and more withdrawn. I stopped doing things I loved, like research, stopped seeing old friends. I know Lucius was worried about me.”

“Of course I was,” Lucius interjected. “You've never been a social butterfly, but you were turning into a slug. You hardly left your room half the time, much less the house.”

“Ah, see, you vas traveling, you vas looking, you vas trying to find something. But you haff no idea vat it is. Then you get this feeling, something is calling you to come home. Maybe, it is your magic inside you. Because your magic knows vat you are looking for—it is your soul mate.” Anton pointed at Hermione. “_She_ is vat you vere looking for, Severus. She is the reason, she is your purpose.”

Severus shrugged and smiled slightly, “It certainly feels like it right now.”

Sophie leaned over to pat Anton's arm and whispered something to him. He nodded and looked up at them. “Sophie is reminding me of something ve should explain about the blood. That the blood vas a trigger for you, Hermione.” 

“Blood? What blood?” Hermione paled a bit.

“The handkerchief vith Severus' blood is vat re-triggered your reactions. There vas an earlier time ven you vas exposed to his blood, no?”

Lucius cleared his throat. “I told them how you saved his life during the war, Hermione.”

“Yah, ven you were trying to save his life, and his blood vas on you, your magic makes the connection: _this is the vun._ Your soul mate. But just like ven you vas twelve, your magic knows too, this time is not right. Oh, you are older now, yah, but Severus, he is still seeing you in the role of his student. In his mind, he is still seeing that little twelve years old girl. So your magic protects the bond, it buries it deep until the time is right. Years pass, then vun day you see the bloody handkerchief. Out of all the items in that box, the only vun you chose to touch is the vun thing that vill link you to your soul mate. Your magic knows, Hermione. It shows you the vay.”

Severus was nodding. He turned to Hermione. “What Anton is saying does make sense. Right after the war, I would not have accepted a relationship between us. Hell, I was still fighting it even now. When you first came here, I was attracted to you but I tried to suppress those feelings. Even after agreeing to the apprenticeship, I think I was trying to push you into the role of student, in my mind keeping you off-limits.”

Hermione smiled and murmured, “But something happened. You weren't putting me off-limits last night.”

Anton perked up. “Tell us, vat vas it that happened?”

Lucius waggled his eyebrows and added, “Yes, please. Tell us what happened last night. Tell us everything, spare no details.”

Severus glared at his friend. “Shut it, you.” He turned to Anton. “I think I found my trigger. I am assuming it isn't only blood, correct?”

“Oh, no, of course not. Blood is vun of the most common triggers, but it can be different things for different people. Does not even have to be physical ting like blood, it can be a scent, or the sound of a person's laughter, a particular phrase or situation, or many many other things. So vat do you think it vas for you, Severus?” 

“Hermione and I had had words and she ran out. I went after her and when I caught up with her and—well, we had more words first—but then I brushed away tears from her cheeks. In that moment, something happened, I was overcome by feelings of longing and need, but at the same time I felt complete as if I'd just found my home.”

“Ohh...” Hermione leaned close to brush a kiss across Severus' lips then, glancing around at the others, she blushed. “Sorry, I couldn't help myself, that was so romantic.”

Severus' attention went to Lucius, expecting to hear some smart-arsed remark, but Lucius was staring down at his hands, his thumbs rubbing back and forth across the pads of his fingers. He seemed to be lost in thought. Frowning, Severus was about to ask what was going through Lucius' mind when his attention was drawn back to the group by Anton.

“So you are convinced now, Hermione?” the little old professor asked.

She smiled uncertainly. “I'm sorry, Anton, Sophie, while the idea of a soul mate is very appealing, I have a hard time believing it could be true. There are so many obstacles.” She glanced at Severus. “For example, if Severus and I are soul mates, how could his magic have ever allowed him to fall in love with Lily Evans?”

“I don't think he did, not really,” Lucius offered.

“Lucius, how can you say that?” Hermione objected. “Everyone knows it's true.”

“No,” Severus interjected. “He's right. Lily was my first friend, my best friend, my only friend for many years. I desperately wanted to be in love with her and I managed to convince myself that it was true. But when I'm honest with myself I know it wasn't, and she certainly was not in love with me.”

“So you see, Hermione, Severus' magic did not betray him in this. Plus, you must remember vat I told you earlier, not all soul mates are able to find their match. Most people's magic is not as powerful as you and Severus, yours is the exception not the norm. Some people live all their lives alone, never finding what they seek. Others settle and marry for companionship or convenience.”

“That sounds very sad,” said Hermione. “I mean if soul mates are real.”

“Perhaps soul mates are not as rare as you think, Anton,” speculated Lucius. “Maybe it's just that they never find the connection to the right person or the trigger to awaken it.”

Anton tapped his chin thoughtfully. “That is an interesting theory, Lucius. Sophie and I have some other theories we have been exploring as well. Some connections are not the typical male/female couple, for example, but are same-sex.”

“I like that,” said Hermione with a smile. “Equal opportunity bonding.”

“Yah,” agreed Anton. “The magic doesn't care. Love is love. Another example is that ve believe there are some soul connections that are not romantic or sexual at all but are bonds of extreme friendship. Friends who are so close they become like family, like siblings. So close they would protect each other vith their own lives. And ve have also found some evidence of unusual pairings of soul mates.”

“Unusual? In what way?” asked Severus.

“As in they are not couples but multiples. In our research covering several centuries, there are documented cases of at least a half dozen triads, and one foursome. These cases are even rarer than the normal soul mate connection of just two people, but they do exist.”

“Fascinating,” said Severus and Lucius simultaneously.

Hermione looked curious. “Exactly how does one research something like this, Anton?”

“Lots of reading,” he said with a chuckle. “Ve look for a reference to the phenomenon such as vat you have experienced yourself, in historical documents, such as personal journals and diaries, testimonies, newspaper reports, biographies, and we also do pensieve vork vith stored memories. And of course, ve interview living soul mates to document their experiences.” 

Sophie poked Anton and spoke rapidly to him in German. “Ah, yah,” he nodded. “Sophie reminds me to say ve have also done a lot of vork on tracing family histories. It seems that the tendency to produce soul mates has an increased probability vithin certain bloodlines.”

“Like the Sacred Twenty-Eight?” asked Lucius.

“Not exactly. It's a much larger pool involved, as ve are looking throughout the entire vorld, not just here in Britain. There are currently about ninety-three bloodlines on the list that ve consider to be the primary bloodlines, but that could change as ve learn more.” 

“So these are all bloodlines of magical families?” asked Hermione. When Anton nodded, Hermione continued, “And normally, both soul mates are descended from at least one of these bloodlines?”

“Yah, that seems to be the case so far. Ve think for someone to manifest the soul mate traits they must have descended from one of the primary bloodlines. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, and ve are learning more all the time.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Anton,” said Hermione, actually looking disappointed. “But you just disproved your own theory about us being soul mates. I'm Muggle-born so I can't be descended from one of these primary bloodlines.”

Anton smiled slyly as Sophie tittered beside him. “My bubble has not burst, as you say, but I think maybe you vill be the one surprised. I vill tell you yet another of mine and Sophie's theories. Often in magical families, there are children born vith no apparent magic in them, you have heard of this, yah?”

“Squibs, of course I've heard. I know several.”

“Yah, okay. Often times these families are embarrassed or ashamed and do not vant these children. They are often ignored, shunned, adopted outside the magical vorld, simply abandoned, or even vorse disposed of permanently. So if they leave the magical world, vere do you suppose they go? Do they live like a hermit in a cave, or sail to some deserted island to live alone forever?”

“No. Obviously, they would go to live among Muggles,” said Hermione.

“Yah, and they join into the Muggle society, they vork, they marry, they have children. And life goes on. Generations pass and suddenly one day a happy Muggle couple have a baby, and imagine their surprise when they learn that their child is magical.”

Hermione's eyes grew wide and her mouth formed a shocked 'O'. “What you're telling me is that Muggle-borns are not random accidents, or aberrations, or some sort of mutation. They are—holy Hippogriff—they're the result of a recessive gene. It's in the DNA!”

“Oh, Merlin, not the Dee Yennay again,” muttered Lucius.

Ignoring him, Anton nodded. “Yah, I think this is so, Hermione. I have studied about this DNA in the Muggle scientific journals—fascinating vork—and I do believe this is true vat you say, Muggle-borns come from a magical background. The magic is just farther back in their bloodlines than ve knew.” 

Hermione stood and turned to Severus. “Why, Mr. Snape, I do believe you are my soul mate,” she said, throwing her arms around him in an excited hug. 

“Miss Granger, I do believe you are correct,” he said in return, holding her close as he dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head.

She leaned back and said, “While I am ninety-five percent convinced, thanks to the Schlossmans’ research, I'm going to want to do some genealogical research of my own. I need to see if I can trace my ancestry back to one of the primary bloodlines.”

Severus wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his side. “Well, of course, further research is a given. I would expect no less.”

“Luckily research is one of your specialties,” added Lucius with a smirk. 

“Oh, then I am sorry to spoil your fun,” said Anton with a grin as he handed her a fat manila envelope.

“What's this?” asked Hermione, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Your family tree. Ve vere able to trace it back seven generations on your father's side and nine on your mother's.”

“How could you possibly...”

“One of our great-great-granddaughters-in-law, Eloise, is Muggle-born. She, like you, passes easily between the two vorlds. She vorks with us doing a lot of the genealogical research on the Muggle side.”

Hermione laughed aloud. “You know you could have just led with the information about the genetic links.”

“Vat vould be the fun in that, Hermione?”

“And are any of the names of your ninety-three families in here?”

He grinned. “Two on your father's side and at least four on your mother's. Eloise is doing more research for us, so ve may discover more information later if she is able to trace them farther back. She has access to many records and other information through the Muggle internet.”

“So many connections to the primary lines? I don't understand, how is that possible?”

“Unusual, but not impossible. Your family tree is not a beanpole, Hermione, growing straight up, it has many many branches. From you to two parents, eight grandparents, sixteen great-grandparents, thirty-two great-great-grandparents, and so on and so on. It also might explain the strength of your magic, having such a varied background.”

Hermione clutched the packet with her family tree to her chest. “Anton and Sophie, I can't thank you enough. I was a doubter but I've come to realize that magic truly works in mysterious ways.”

Anton shook her hand and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I am hoping you vill allow us to come back someday and conduct interviews about your experience.”

“Yes, of course, I'd be happy to help.” Turning to Sophie, Hermione embraced her in a hug. “Sophie, may I ask you a personal question?”

Sophie's eyes twinkled. “I yam t’inking dat I know vat hue are goink to ahsk,” she replied softly.

“Did you choose this type of research because you and Anton...?”

“Yah.” Sophie didn't even give her a chance to finish the question. “Anton und I are soul mates. Ven ve met I vas seventeen und he vas tventy-von. Ve knew right avay dat ve vere meant to be togedder, eet vas lucky for us dat ve did not haff to struggle like yoo und your mans to find de connection. Ve vas married dat very next shpring und have been togedder for von hundred und tree years.” She gave Hermione a hug. “Dis is a special ting yoo haff. Be hoppy.”

Anton brought over Sophie's cloak. “Vell, my love,” he said carefully helping her on with the cloak. “Ve should be going, ve have a Portkey to catch.”

~*~*~*~*~ 

After Anton and Sophie were gone, the three of them wandered down to the sitting room to discuss the events of the morning.

Hermione looked at Severus and Lucius and suddenly burst into giggles. “Soul mates! I never in a million years would have guessed that, or believed it either.”

“I know,” agreed Severus. “When you mentioned the feeling of compulsion, I was worried. I was thinking of some sort of ancient controlling curse, or some new undetectable form of the Imperius Curse. Soul mate was nowhere on my list. Just goes to show that the powers and possibilities of magic are hard to fathom.”

“Well, I suspected the connection all along,” said Lucius with a sniff.

“Why didn't you just say that then?” asked Severus. “Instead of dancing around the issue.”

“Because if I was wrong, I didn't want to influence the outcome. Frankly, I figured neither of you would take it seriously and it might have caused you to reject the connection without even giving it a chance. So I tried to find the best experts in the field to assess the situation and explain it to you in such a way that you would understand. Finding one’s soul mate is a gift and I didn't want you to throw that away.”

Hermione rose from where she was seated next to Severus on the love seat and came to stand in front of Lucius. Taking both his hands in hers she pulled him to his feet and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you, Lucius. Sincerely, I can't ever thank you enough. You really have given me the greatest gift I've ever received by bringing me here and helping the two of us find our way to each other.”

Lucius hugged her back, then tipped her head up to kiss her gently on the forehead. “My dear, dear girl, I wish you every happiness. You will be good for him and he for you. But,” he added in a warning tone, “there are a few things you need to know from the start. It is a well-known fact he is a grumpy git, and has a terrible temper. He's also a perfectionist, and is absolutely anal about his potions lab—however, he is the bravest person I've ever known, he's devoted to those he cares for, he will always be true and steadfast, and he is utterly unfailing in his loyalty. I know all of these things from personal experience.” Lucius glanced at Severus, then leaned in conspiratorially and added, “The very best advice I can give you to have a happy life with him is this: you must never, ever speak to him before his first cup of coffee.”

Lucius moved to stand before Severus and held out his hand. “Congratulations, old man.”

Severus took his friend's hand and stood, replying with a twitch of his lips. “Thank you, even older man.” They shook hands firmly and then did that man-hug thing where they each threw an arm loosely around the other’s shoulder, pounding the other’s back without actually touching their bodies together. 

Stepping away they looked at each other awkwardly, then Lucius spoke. “Seriously, Severus, she is the best thing that's ever happened to you. Don't try to talk yourself out of it, because I know you and you will. You deserve to have happiness, my friend, you deserve her.”

“Thank you, Lucius. Hermione's right – we wouldn't be here right now but for you. If you hadn't brought her here and encouraged me to consider her apprenticeship thereby pushing us together, we might not have discovered the connection.”

“I am happy with the outcome. I think this calls for a celebration. It's nearly lunchtime, let's pop open a bottle of champagne and make a toast.”

Soon they were all raising their glasses to clink delicately together.

“My own great-grandparents were soul mates, and they were extremely happy together. I'm sure you will be as well.”

“Lucius, I had no idea. So you've personally known soul mates. It's no wonder that you recognized the signs,” said Hermione. 

“Hmm...I would have thought Malfoy marriages were all arranged, especially that far back,” said Severus.

“It was actually my maternal great-grandparents, my mother's mother's parents. When I was little I got to spend a lot of time with Gee-Gee – that's what we called her because she said that ‘great-grandmother’ was too much of a mouthful for a little fellow to spit out every time he wanted to ask for a sweet or a toy. I loved the stories she told about her and Papa. Unlike Sophie's story, theirs was not a love at first sight scenario. They had a rocky road but once they connected they lived a long and happy life.” 

For a moment Lucius was lost in pleasant thoughts of his childhood, but then his expression turned sad. “I'd always hoped I would find my own connection like theirs someday, but it wasn't meant to be. Soul mates really are a rare occurrence, after all.”

He stood. “I've just remembered some important paperwork I need to fill out for the Foundation. You know how the Ministry is, we must dot every I and cross every T. You two enjoy the rest of the champagne. Congratulations again.”

Hermione watched as Lucius left the room. “I feel guilty for being so happy together when Lucius is obviously lonely.”

“You care about him.”

“Yes, of course I do. He's very different now from what I remember, from what he was. He's changed, he's trying so hard to redeem himself, and above all else, he's been kind to me. I wish he could find a way to be happy.”

“Perhaps he will someday.” Severus picked up the bottle of champagne and grinned at Hermione. “We do have something to celebrate and I seem to recall we were rudely interrupted this morning. Hmm...what was it, something about you doing all the work this time?”

Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room. 

~*~*~*~*~

Portkey Office, London:

“Anton, liebchen?”

“Yah, Sophie?”

“Vy didn't yoo tell dem?”

“Because it's better for people to figure it out on their own.”

“But I like him. Ve shood haff helped.”

“I like him too, but that doesn't mean ve should interfere.”

“I vant for Lucius to be hoppy. His life hass been hard, vith much vealth und privilege, yah, but it did not bring him hoppiness. He iss very _einsam_, very lonely.”

“Give it time, Sophie. Things vill vork out in the end.”

Sophie sighed deeply, taking his hand. “Yah, Anton, I hope so.”

TBC


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a fit of anger and frustration, Hermione resigns from her position as a department head at the Ministry of Magic. The problem is, in a very un-Hermione-like move, she has absolutely no plan for what comes next, except for this niggling idea that she simply must find Severus Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Unending thanks to my fantastic beta, delphipsmith, for all her hard work and for putting up with me, she's a true wonder. Also thanks to iqeret for the great prompts, I hope my offering meets your approval.
> 
> This fic was posted originally at Livejournal on the 2018 sshg_giftfest.

One month later:

Severus rushed into the room. “Hermione, are you alright? Fifi said you needed me – what's wrong?”

Hermione sat on the other side of the dining table, her hands in her lap, refusing to meet his gaze. “Oh, Severus. I don't know quite how to explain. Something's happened...it's wonderful and horrible at the same time.”

“Hermione, love, are you pregnant?”

Her eyes shot to his face in an angry glare. “What the hell?!” she shouted. “Why would it be horrible, if I were pregnant? Is that what you think? Would that be something horrible in your mind?”

“NO! No, of course not. That's not what I meant at all. I just thought _you_ might be upset. Because it's so soon, that you're not ready yet, that...that...”

Her indignation fled and she seemed to collapse in on herself. “Oh relax, Severus. I'm not pregnant.”

“Then what is it, love? What's wrong?”

She lifted her hands from her lap. They were covered in blood.

Severus rushed forward, grabbing her hands. “Hermione, you're bleeding! Where are you hurt? What happened?”

“Severus, stop. I'm fine. It's from a broken glass, but it's not my blood.”

Understanding dawned on his face. “It's Lucius' blood, isn't it?” Taking out his wand he cast a cleansing spell on her hands. Then he dampened a napkin and gently dabbed at any excess, working in silence. Then, dropping into the chair beside her, he looked into her eyes. “You know,” he said quietly.

Hermione reached out, wrapping both her hands around one of his. “I take that to mean that you already knew.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I suspected.”

She swallowed hard. “Are you angry?”

His eyes flew to hers. “No, of course not. Why would I be angry?” 

She shrugged. “I was worried. I love you so much, Severus. I don't want to lose you, but I have no control over what I'm feeling. What I felt from the moment his blood touched me.”

Severus frowned down at her. “How would you lose me? This changes nothing between us. Anton explained that there are cases where the bond is shared three ways, including the bond of friendship which I believe applies to Lucius and me already. This is not a bad thing, Hermione, it could even make the connection between all of us even stronger. I know that I seem a possessive sort, but Lucius is my friend and it isn't as though we haven't shared a wo...” He stopped suddenly, giving her a worried look.

“You've shared...women before?”

“Yes, but it was casual. It meant nothing, I swear. Not like us.”

Hermione smiled. “Severus, don't look so guilty. It's not like we just hatched yesterday all fresh and fluffy. We've all had relationships in the past. I'm actually a little relieved to know that you two have some experience in that realm.” The color rose in her cheeks as she added, “I've been sitting here trying to imagine how it would work.” 

“It will work just fine, love, believe me,” Severus said, his hand sliding beneath her hair to massage the nape of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. “Except I worry that Lucius is going to play the martyr and try to deny the bond. ”

She nodded. “I think he already has. As soon as his blood touched me, I knew and it must have shown in my face. He walked out and a bit later sent this note with Fifi. It says that he's gone on an extended business trip and he thinks that it would be best for all of us if you and I found our own place to live while he's gone.”

“That idiot!” Severus groaned. “He's a total arse. Just wait until I see him, I'll hex his balls off. No, that wouldn't suit our purposes at all. I know, I'll hex his hair off instead, that will get him where it really hurts—his vanity.”

Hermione didn't seem to be paying much attention to Severus' rants. “Where will we go? I can hardly throw Ron and Pansy out of the cottage on such short notice. There's really no room to set up a potions lab there anyway, I always just brewed at the kitchen counter but that wouldn't work for the two of us.”

He turned his gaze to her, his brow furrowed. “What are you talking about, woman? We aren't going anywhere.”

“But Lucius wants us to leave,” she cried, waving the note in his face.

“I don't care what that thrice-damned note says.” Severus flicked his wand and blasted the note into confetti. “Lucius doesn't know what the bloody hell he wants. He's being a fucking twat and we are not leaving. This is our home and we are going to be right here when he comes to his senses and comes back.”

Hermione crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around him. “What if he doesn't? What if he goes off for years, like you did?” she asked in a small unsure voice.

Severus snorted. “He won't. Lucius Malfoy does not have the capacity for self-sacrifice to stay away for that length of time. Mark my words, sweet, he'll come back.” Suddenly a thought occurred to him. “Are you already feeling the compulsion to find him?”

She nodded against his shoulder. 

Try to fight it, love. I'll do what I can to help you, but I think it would be best for him to come to this decision on his own.” He squeezed her and growled, “That bastard. I'm so angry with him for putting you through this.”

She clung to him for a few minutes. “Severus?”

“Yes, Hermione?”

“Don't hex his hair off. I like his hair, it's pretty.”

Her head rested against his shoulder and with a sigh, he laid his cheek against her hair. “It would grow back you know...eventually.”

“Severus.” Her tone was softly scolding.

“Oh, alright. For you. His hair is kind of pretty, I suppose. But don't ever, _ever_ tell him I said so.” 

~*~*~*~*~

Five weeks later:

Lucius didn't bother to Floo home or even Apparate directly to the entry. He had too much on his mind and needed to think, so he arrived just inside the entrance gate to the estate and walked up the long drive to his front door, his mind in turmoil. He'd really bollocksed things up this time. So much so he wasn't sure it could be salvaged. What on earth had possessed him to do what he'd done?

He'd thought it was the right thing to do at the time, but now it just seemed stupid. Severus had suffered so much in the past and Lucius blamed himself for a lot of that. By ignoring the bond with Hermione and stepping aside, he'd thought he was doing Severus a favour. But he hadn't just left her – he'd left his best friend, his 'brother', behind as well. Anton had tried to tell them but he hadn't paid close enough attention.

When they'd first met, Lucius had been a sixth-year Slytherin prefect and Severus a scrawny firstie in hand-me-down robes with a pile of used books. Nothing about him should have drawn Lucius' notice, but something did. He'd seen the boy take on four Gryffindor bullies, all by himself. He was actually winning, but when Lucius walked up they'd all scattered. Instead of being grateful the little snot had told Lucius to mind his own business.

_“Look, Snape. I'm not going to stand idly by and watch Gryffindors gang up four to one on a member of my own house and not step in to help.”_

_“I appreciate the sentiment, Malfoy, but I can't let myself rely on anyone. In two years you'll be gone and I'll still have five years left here with those bastards.”_

_Lucius had to admit it made sense, but he made an offer. “Alright, if you don't want me to help openly, how about we train together: dueling practice, physical training, things like that.”_

_Severus eyed him suspiciously. “Why would you bother helping me? I'm only a first-year, nothing to you.”_

_“It's a matter of Slytherin honor. We can't have Gryffindors or anyone else making one of our own look like a wimp. I've been watching you, Snape. You're smart, quick, and you know more defensive spells than all the third years and half of the fourth. I think you have potential. Do you want my help or not?”_

That had been the beginning. Thirty-five years of friendship, and he'd thrown it all away: Severus, Hermione, the best chance he'd ever have at real happiness. 

After weeks of vacillating over his actions, he'd finally realized the magnitude of his mistake. He'd come back to England and rushed straight to Hermione's cottage—prepared to beg, bluff or bribe his way back into their lives. To his shock, Pansy Parkinson had answered the door and told him she had no idea where Hermione was. 

The problem was that Lucius had no idea either. When he’d left the note telling them to leave, he’d assumed she and Severus would have gone back to the home where he'd found her; he’d pictured them living there, all this time. Finding out they weren't there was a shock and he was at a loss as to where they might have gone. 

Now, standing before his own front door, he took a deep breath, straightened his spine and pulled himself together. He was Lucius Malfoy, damn it, he could do this. He _would_ do this. He'd start tomorrow. He'd contact people who might know where they were. Minerva was a friend to both of them, he'd start there. After that, he'd check the Burrow, and with her old boss Shacklebolt – hell, he'd go to Potter if he had to.

Lucius had his hand on the latch when suddenly the door flew open and two hands grabbed him by the lapels, jerked him inside, kicked the door shut, and slammed him back against it. He found himself staring into a pair of black eyes with sparks of fury practically shooting out at him. 

Jaw clenched, Severus' voice was low and rough. “Welcome home, Lucius. Did you get lost?”

“Severus, calm down...”

“Calm down! Do you have any idea what you've done?”

“I'm sorry! I truly am. I was trying...trying to...I don't know.” Lucius waved a hand helplessly. “It's just that I've brought so much harm into your life, I led you down paths that nearly got you killed, not to mention all the other horrors you endured. I wanted you to have this one thing that was just yours—something special. Hermione is that something special.”

“Yes, she is,” Severus said, not relaxing his grip one iota. “And what she and I have _is_ special, but it's not just us, you idiot. You're a part of it now too. The bond pulls at all three of us. Now that all of the connections have been made it has to be all of us together, Lucius. You can't just walk away from that.”

“I know that now,” Lucius admitted, a pained look in his eyes. “I was a fool. I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to Hermione, and to you too.”

“You have no idea what your leaving did to her. That was the worst part for me, having to witness her pain. This hurt her badly, Lucius. She hasn't been eating, she hardly sleeps, and she hasn't let herself cry since the day you left, she's been holding it all inside.”

“Tell me what I can to do to fix it, Severus. I need to make it right.” 

Just then they heard a door slam upstairs and the sound of feet running down the hallway. Hermione appeared at the top of the stairs. “Lucius?” Her voice was hushed, as though she feared that if she said it too loud the bubble would burst and he would disappear. Severus released him and turned around, and together they watched as Hermione rushed down the stairs so fast he feared she would slip and tumble. He stepped forward, unable to stop himself, and when her foot hit the bottom step she launched herself into his arms, nearly knocking him over and holding on to him for dear life. She didn't say a word, just wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. Unable to believe she was in his arms he hugged her his chest. He breathed in her scent, and sliding his hands up her back, he threaded his fingers through her hair cupping her head to tip her face up for his kiss. 

Abruptly, then, she pushed away from him and took three steps back, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and stared at him, her face a mix of anger, wariness, and hope. Lucius didn't know what to do or say, then he saw her bottom lip quiver and heard a little half hitch in her breathing like a sob trying to escape. It was the tears and the little pained whimper escaping from her throat that did him in. 

“Oh...oh no...Hermione, don't. Please don't cry, I can't stand it, sweetheart. Slap me, hit me, hex me, curse me, I'd rather you do any of these than see you cry. Please tell me what I can do. Please.” The very sight of her crying over him hurt so much.

She took a tentative step toward him. “Hold me. Just hold me.” 

Lucius lunged forward to gather her into his arms. A second later her arm reached out toward Severus and she squeaked, “You too.” He stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, even though he had to wedge them between her body and Lucius. Severus hugged her gently, resting his cheek against the top of her curly hair.

They stood together, holding each other in silence until Hermione's tears stopped and eventually the little hiccoughing shudders did as well. Hermione sighed and tangled her fingers in Lucius' long platinum locks. “Oh Lucius, I'm so glad you still have your hair.”

Lucius' eyes flew wide and he stared at Severus over the top of Hermione's head. “My hair?”

Severus smirked and waggled his eyebrows, “I'll explain later.” 

They held onto each other, surrounded by their strength and their magic and their love, just as they would for the next hundred years or so.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End notes:
> 
> Once again many thanks to my fabulous beta for all her hard work and unending patience.
> 
> And to my giftee: Iqeret, thank you again, my dear, for wonderful the prompts. I hope I did them justice, I sure had fun writing them. ;)
> 
> Prompts used:   
#1 Hermione has had it with Ministry Morons and/or tiresome students (and possibly with Harry & Ron as well), so she chucks the whole thing in a grand gesture. Knowing already that what she's doing is barmy (but then, so is she), she goes to one or both of the last people she'd ever have considered: Severus Snape and/or Lucius Malfoy. Threesome encouraged, but certainly not required.   
And I also incorporated part of prompt # 5   
Remnants of Severus's blood have led Hermione to London in search of the man she knows is alive. She discovers him in the last place she ever expected.


End file.
